Murano Pezzato Vase – Fulvio Bianconi for Venini – 1950-51

A superb example of Fulvio Bianconi’s iconic Pezzato series for Venini, executed in the polychrome tessere technique. Sections of colored glass: cobalt, teal, emerald, burgundy, and straw (Parigi color way) are arranged in a geometric patchwork pattern, gathered onto a blown colorless glass body and then blown to final form, fusing the mosaic of colors into the vessel wall. The resulting surface reads as a seamless field of shifting, translucent color, evoking the abstract painting of Paul Klee and the luminosity of Gothic stained glass. The Pezzato series debuted to considerable critical attention at the 25th Venice Biennale in 1950 and remains among the most significant works in postwar Murano glass design. Torpedo form with tapering neck. Acid-etched three-line signature to the underside: venini / murano / ITALIA.