20th Century Roman Amphora Vase in Blue Murano Glass by Seguso Glassworks, Italy, 1950s

Item description:
Magnificent double-handled vase in blue blown glass in the shape of a Roman amphora. The glass is very thick and heavy for its size, and has been treated with acid to give it the appearance of an antique vase unearthed from an excavation. The vase dates back to around 1960-1970. It is unsigned but can easily be attributed to the glassworks of Archimede Seguso, a famous Murano artist. The shape of the vase is particularly beautiful, with a wide belly and a rather flattened shape and two wonderful handles, reminiscent of Roman amphorae, made in this way to facilitate transport. In fact, ropes were placed on the two side handles to create a sort of handle for carrying them from one place to another. The Seguso glassworks began producing this type of scavo vase around 1960-1970, the period to which this vase dates.

Information about the artist and/or manufacturer:
Archimede Seguso (Murano, December 17, 1909 – Murano, September 6, 1999) was an Italian entrepreneur and master glassmaker. Considered "a living encyclopedia of glass" (as defined by Giuseppe Cappa in the book "Le Genie Verrier de L'Europe," pp. 471, 510, and 511), he was one of the most famous Venetian glassmakers, distinguishing himself in the working of heavy glass (massello). He began working at the age of 17, becoming a master craftsman in the furnace where his father was a partner, until the crisis of 1929. He then founded his own workshop, which became the family glassworks and was transformed into Soffieria Barovier Seguso & Ferro and then, in 1933, into Seguso Vetri d'Arte, a company that marked the development of glass in the following decades. He collaborated extensively with the artistic director and designer Flavio Poli. Archimede Seguso left this family glassworks in 1944 to found his own company, Vetreria Artistica Archimede Seguso.
Here he managed to expand his horizons by reusing ancient glassblowing techniques and reworking 18th-century filigree, inventing famous "Filigrane" pieces such as "Merletti" and "Piume," as well as experimenting with other techniques using a wide variety of colors. He experimented and created glassworks of great personality with overlapping colors and strong chromatic contrasts using the "Sommerso" technique. He passed away in 1999, leaving behind numerous works, as well as an indelible mark of his creativity, in many contemporary art museums around the world. He exhibited his works at the Venice Biennales, the Milan and Liège Triennials, and many other exhibitions. In 1982, he participated in the exhibition "Mille anni del vetro" (A Thousand Years of Glass) in Venice at Palazzo Grassi and the Correr Museum, with several sculptures. In 1989, a solo exhibition was dedicated to him in New York at Tiffany & Co. In 1991, the City of Venice hosted "I Vetri di Archimede Seguso" (The Glasses of Archimede Seguso) at the Doge's Palace, the only living master at the time to have a solo exhibition in the Doge's Palace in Venice.