This striking work of Murano art glass in the Triple Sommerso technique, handblown in temperatures of c. 2,400°F / 1,300°C was from Luigi Onesto for his studio La Vetreria Artistica Oball.
Currently held on consignment at Andrews Oakville
With an elegant beauty created by the masterful execution of the Sommerso art glass technique, Sommerso is one of the most commonly known Murano techniques, which in Italian literally means “submerged”. This technique is used to create several layers of glass (usually with different contrasting colours) inside a single object, giving the illusion of “immersed” colours without mixing.
In art glass, and particularly in this piece, the edges are anything but vague. The core colour of this sculpted piece is a vibrant Teal green, Ultraviolet purple and Hot Fuschia pink. The work is accented with a lollipop stopper containing 3 rings of concentrated colours from the palette.
The final form is a softly rounded slice with two polished facets which provide excellent windows to the feature of colour layers. This exceptional work of sculpted art glass is timelessly Modern yet luxurious in style and brings an elevated yet glamorous simplicity.
CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks, or repairs. There is faint wear of movement marks on the underside of the bases that are commensurate with the age. Please refer to the photographs as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the base is signed with 'L. Onesto Murano'. The label 'Vetreria Artistica Oball Murano' is also on the body of the bottle.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 5.7" / 14.6 cm (base to stopper) x c. 4.4" / 11.3 cm length (across longest point) x width: c. 3.3" / 8.5 cm (across widest point). Unpackaged weight: c. 1.1 kg / 1,120 g.
A BIT OF HISTORY Luigi Onesto for Vetreria Artistica Oball One of the most famous makers of Italian Murano art glass is Luigi Onesto. Born in Murano, Italy to a family of glass-makers, Luigi was immersed in the art from an early age. At 15, he honed his craft during his apprenticeship at Gambaro & Poggi, one of the oldest and leading glass-making companies in Italy at the time. Eventually, he founded his own art glass studio, Vetreria Artistica Oball, where he now works with his sons.
Luigi’s work is characterised by his exceptionally skilled use of the Sommerso technique. Sommerso involves layering multiple colours of glass for a very distinctive and beautiful effect. It is not a simple process by any means and in the hands of lesser artists, the effect is often ruined by the presence of air bubbles between the layers.
Sommerso is one of the most commonly known Murano techniques, which in Italian literally means “submerged”. This technique is used to create several layers of glass (usually with different contrasting colours) inside a single object, giving the illusion of “immersed” colours without mixing.
The different layers of glass are put through heat, repeatedly immersing them in pots of molten coloured glass. This technique is easily recognisable; characterised by an outer layer of colourless glass and thick layers of coloured glass inside it. The effect is as if a big drop of colour had been captured inside the clear glass.
