Wright Auction

In the world of Murano glass, rarely can we identify a vase as having been manufactured for one particular exhibition, but this piece is the rare exception—signed with an “AMF 1914” murrina, it is part of a small group of vases produced specifically by the Barovier company for the Mostra dei Fiori which took place under the arches of the Doges palace in Venice in the Spring of 1914.

Executed by Giuseppe Barovier himself, these vases are refined examples of the blown Murrine or Mosaico technique, which Giuseppe mastered in the 1880s, and is applied here in the late Art Nouveau style. This openness to world-art trends displayed by the Baroviers at every turn would find its ultimate expression in the work of Giuseppe’s nephew, Ercole Barovier, later in the decade. 

As a post script, Giuseppe Barovier actually spent time in the booth during the Mostra dei Fiori exhibition, and can be seen in the rare photo above.