Karl Springer for Seguso – Monumental Scavo Murano Glass Vase

$2,400

This monumental hand-blown glass vase was designed by Karl Springer and produced by Seguso Vetri d’Arte in Murano, Italy, during the 1980s. Standing 18.5 inches tall, the vase has a tapered, bullet-form silhouette in a warm amber-blush tone, finished with the scavo technique that gives the surface its dense, granular texture and shifting iridescent highlights. The mouth of the vase is thick and bevelled at a true right angle, a detail that shows the substantial weight of the glass. The underside is incised “Karl Springer.” There is a light 0.25″ scratch near the top of the vase, shown in picture #9. It does not distract from the overall aesthetic of the piece.

Karl Springer (1931–1991) was a Berlin-born, New York–based designer known for pairing luxury materials such as lacquer, shagreen, and exotic skins with clean, architectural forms. In the 1980s he expanded into hand-blown glass, commissioning pieces from Seguso in Murano that carried his name and design sensibility while drawing on centuries of Venetian glassmaking tradition. Scavo glass, developed to evoke the pitted surface of ancient excavated glass, became one of his signature finishes.