130: ERCOLE BAROVIER, Rare and Important Primavera vase < Important Italian Glass, 24 January 2019 < Auctions

Important Italian Glass

24 January 2019

Important Italian Glass

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130

Ercole Barovier
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Rare and Important Primavera vase

Artistica Barovier
Italy, 1929
primavera glass with applied emerald glass details 15 h × 9 dia in (38 × 23 cm)

estimate: $30,000–50,000

result: $37,500

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provenance: Collection of Dimitri Levas
literature: Ercole Barovier 1889-1974: Vetraio Muranese, Dorigato, pg. 19 illustrates similar example Venetian Art Glass: An American Collection 1840-1970, Barovier, pg. 97 illustrates similar example L'Arte del Vetro a Murano, Dorigato, pg. 272 illustrates similar example

Rare Primavera Vase

The story of Ercole Barovier’s Primavera series is unique in the history of Murano glass. Created in 1929 from one experimental (or accidental) batch, Primavera pieces are composed of thick, clear glass impregnated with webs of tiny bubbles and thread-like craquelure.

The startling appearance of this material is often made even more dramatic by the use of contrasting details in deep amethyst and cobalt blue. To date, the company has never been able to successfully reproduce this enigmatic glass, and therefore every piece of Primavera is considered rare and important.

In the present example we see a known form but with the use of green details—something unexpected. As the rarest variation of the rarest series ever produced by the Barovier company, this piece is both beautiful and of great historical significance.

Ercole Barovier 1889–1974

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The nearly fifty year tenure of Ercole Barovier as artistic director, designer and owner of Barovier & Toso is unprecedented in the history of Murano glass, and the firm’s success stands as a testament to his singular artistic talent and entrepreneurial genius.

Born in 1889 to a Muranese family that could trace its origins back to the 13th century, Barovier did not train as a glassblower but had a great passion for glass and quickly distinguished himself as an innovative designer. He joined Artisti Barovier in 1919 at the age of thirty and found success designing vases in the mosaic technique. In 1930 he produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning Primavera series, the success of which encouraged him to continue his experiments.

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Auction Results Ercole Barovier