Vase
ArtistDesigned by
Napoleone Martinuzzi
(Italian, 1892 – 1977)
Makerfor
Zecchin-Martinuzzi
(Italian, 1932 – 1938)
Date1932-1933
CultureItalian
MediumGlass
ClassificationGlass
ProvenanceWith Martin Cohen and José Arias, Sarasota, Florida, until 2020; donated to the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 2020 - present.
Credit LineGift of Martin Cohen and José Arias, 2020
Object number2020.28.5
Glass has been made on the island of Murano in Venice since the 13th century. In the 1920s and 1930s, Murano experienced a glass revival, and Napoleone Martinuzzi was a progressive designer who ushered in modern styles. Favoring simple, elegant forms, his innovative designs were a marked departure from the elaborately ornamented pieces that were previously in vogue in the 19th century. Martinuzzi looked to the past and found inspiration in a variety of media from Mediterranean pottery to historic glass from Ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance. Martinuzzi incorporated a centuries-old technique know as morise, in which tiny bits of molten glass are applied and manipulated with tools to create decorative elements. He took this Venetian tradition in new directions with black glas handles and decorative accents becoming his signature embellishments. The baluster-shaped vase also reflects the classical revival embraced by the Style Moderne, or what is known as Art Deco today.
On View
On viewLocation
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/2 × 6 in. (21.6 × 15.2 cm)- Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion, 1st floor, gallery, wall case 1
4th to early 5th century CE
late 6th–5th century BCE