Ermanno Nason Vase

Style Antiquity Revival Modernist
Materials Scavo Glass
Dimensions H 23cm × D 19 cm
Condition Excellent Vintage Condition
Year c.1965
Country Italy

Hand-blown Glass Vase by Ermanno Nason for Vetreria Artistica Cedenese, Murano

This incredible unique collector's piece features transparent hand-blown Murano glass in the 'scavo' technique with applied grotto-style blue and pink relief decoration. It was designed by the legendary glass maestro Ermanno Nason (1928 – 2013) sometime around the mid 1960s. The vase belongs to a very small body of work from this period by Nason, making it a very rare example. 

Nason came from a long line of glassblowers. Born in the late 1920s, he first began helping at his father’s furnace Italo at the tender age of just 10! He would go on to contribute to the famous Modern art glass movement coined ‘La Fucina degli Angeli’ (The Angel’s Forge). Nason worked with a variety of important artists including Pablo Picasso and Lucio Fontana. A fantastic researcher and expert craftsman, Nason was capable of actualising in glass some of the most creative and innovative ideas of the 20th century. 

The glass making technique 'scavo' (which means excavation in English) involves applying different substances to the surface of the glass, which when heated fuse to create an effect similar to weathering, thereby imitating glass from an archeological excavation. The rough surface and partly unmelted oxides are typical of Nason's hand.

This piece is in excellent condition with no notches, cracks, repairs or discolouration. There is some minor loss to one of the animal's legs. Please see final image for close up.