Currently held on consignment at Andrews Oakville
This striking work of handblown Swedish art crystal, executed in the Murano art glass technique of Bullicante is by the Marcolin brothers for their art glass studio FM Konstglas in Ronneby, Sweden.
Made famous in the 1930s by Archimede Seguso, the Bullicante controlled bubbles technique involves overlaying several layers of air bubbles in a grid pattern within the wall. Crafted in solid crystal, this particular piece features this exquisite technique of delicately encasing a core layer of 24 karat gold. The piece is finished in a clear conical casing of clear Swedish crystal glass.
This stunning piece is timeless in style and brings with it elevated yet glamourous simplicity, the simplicity echoing the Modernist design movement of the period this piece was made. True to the roots of Modernism, there is a focus on combining function with bringing forth the beauty in the natural material.
CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks, or repairs. There is faint wear of movement marks on the underside of the base that is commensurate with the age of the piece. Please see photographs as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the base is fitted with protective felting and also bears FM Konstglas' original label in use between 1960s and 1970s.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 5.9" / 15 cm high (excluding bulb holder) c. 8" / 20.2 cm (including bulb holder). Diameter c. 2.6" / 6.6 cm (across the widest point). Base measurements: c. 1.7" / 4.2 cm diameter. Weight: c. 1.3 kg / 1,280 g. Length of cord: c. 86.6" / 220 cm and is fitted with a European plug. Bulb holder takes standard A-series Screw bulb.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Josef Marcolin (b.1933 - d. 2015) and Benito Marcolin (b.1936) learned their art glass skill and techniques in Murano, Venice before moving to Sweden in 1954 to work at the Glimma glassworks. They would move to Reijmyre glassworks in 1956 before starting their own company, FM Konstglas around 1961. Several of their designs can be seen in both Reijmyre and FM Konstglas. FM stands for Färe-Marcolin, a combination of the brothers' surname and the maiden name of Josef's wife, Inga-Lill Färe. Inga-Lill's father Bror Färe was a businessman, and it is thought that he helped to fund the company, which would explain the inclusion of his surname in the company name.
The original glassworks was based in Eneryda and hence any glass produced while at Eneryda bore labels with 'FM Konstglas, Eneryda'. The glassworks would move to Ronneby in 1961 and the labels were subsequently changed to 'FM Konstglas, Ronneby' or 'FM Konstglas, Ronneby, Sweden'. FM Konstglas / Marcolin pieces began as mainly glass figurines, with a unique blended style and techniques of Swedish and Murano art glass. They also produced other glassware such as vases, bowls and perfume bottles, using traditional Murano techniques such as Millefiori, Sommerso, Sfumato and Zanfirico. FM Konstglas pieces without labels can easily be mistaken for Murano glass
The company changed its name to FM Marcolin Art Crystal in 1983 and changed again to Marcolin Art Crystal around 1988. The Swedish factory closed in 1991, and production was moved to Sardinia, Italy with the intention of producing the same products with Sardinia Crystal glassworks. Sadly, production didn't last long and the Marcolin brothers went their separate ways. Benito moved back to Sweden, while Josef moved to Austria and production continued under the name Marcolin Art Crystal without the brothers.