Beginning in the 1930s — and throughout the postwar years especially — Venini & Co. played a leading role in the revival of Italy’s high-end glass industry, pairing innovative modernist designers with the skilled artisans who created extraordinary chandeliers, sconces and other lighting in the centuries-old glass workshops on the Venetian island of Murano.
While the company’s co-founder, Paolo Venini (1895–1959), was himself a highly talented glassware designer, his true genius was to invite forward-thinking Italian and international designers to Murano’s hallowed workshops to create Venini pieces — among them Gio Ponti, Massimo Vignelli, Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala, Thomas Stearns of the United States and Fulvio Bianconi.
Paolo Venini trained and practiced as a lawyer for a time, though his family had been involved with glassmaking for generations. After initially buying a share in a Venetian glass firm — he and antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellin established Vetri Soffiati Cappellin Venini & C. in 1921 — Venini took over the company as his own in 1925, and under his direction, it produced mainly classical Baroque designs.
In 1932, Venini hired the young Carlo Scarpa— who would later distinguish himself as an architect — as his lead designer. Scarpa, working in concert with practiced glass artisans, completely modernized Venini, introducing simple, pared-down forms; bright primary colors; and bold patterns such as stripes, banding and abstract compositions that utilized cross sections of murrine (glass rods).
Paolo Venini’s best designs are thought to be his two-color Clessidre hourglasses, produced from 1957 onward, and the Fazzoletto (“handkerchief”) vase, designed with Bianconi in 1949. Bianconi’s masterworks are considered by many to be his Pezzato works — colorful vases with patterns that resemble those of a patchwork quilt.
Other noteworthy and highly collectible vintage Venini works include Ponti’s dual-tone stoppered bottles (circa 1948); rare glass sculptures from the Doge series by Stearns, the first American to design for the firm; Vignelli’s striped lanterns of the 1960s; the Occhi vases with eyelet-shaped patterns by Tobia Scarpa (son of Carlo); and, with their almost zen purity, the Bolle (“bubbles”) bottles designed by Wirkkala in 1968.
With these works — and many others by some of the creative titans of the 20th and 21st centuries — Venini has produced one of the truly great bodies of work in modern design.
Find antique and vintage Venini chandeliers, serveware, table lamps, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Venini Monifiori Vase Designed by Laura de Santillana
By Venini, Laura de Santillana
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Venini Monifiori Vase Designed by Laura de Santillana Item e7101 A nice vase of the Monofiori Series series designed by Laura de Santillana. Manufactured by Venini Murano Venice. Thi...
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Venini Geacolor 792.00 Glass Vase, Multicolor - Design Gae Aulenti - Damiani
By Gae Aulenti, Venini
Located in Varedo, MB
Brand: Venini Design: Gae Aulenti Model: Geacolor 792.00 Collection: Geacolor Year: 1995 Made in: Italy Create a magical atmosphere with a unique piece of Murano glass. The Geacolor...
Glass
Venini Murano glass vase - signed "Venini Italia," ca. 1960s-70s.
By Venini
Located in Vicenza, IT
Elegant Murano blown glass vase, Venini production, with engraved signature on the base "Venini Italia".The body, with a flattened globular shape, has a delicate amethyst hue with a ...
Glass
Venini Monofiori Amethyst Glass Vase by Laura de Santillana
By Laura de Santillana, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini Monofiori glass vase in amethyst by Laura de Santillana. “Monofiori” blown handmade glass with stoppers in various forms and colors. Item lab...
Blown Glass
Venini Monofiore Sapphire Blue Glass Vase by Laura de Santillana
By Venini, Laura de Santillana
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini Monofiori glass vase in sapphire by Laura de Santillana. “Monofiori” blown handmade glass with stoppers in various forms and colors. Item lab...
Blown Glass
Venini Monofiore Apple Green Glass Vase by Laura de Santillana
By Laura de Santillana, Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Venini Monofiori glass vase in apple green by Laura de Santillana. “Monofiori” blown handmade glass with stoppers in various forms and colors. Item ...
Blown Glass
$3,163
H 11.82 in Dm 9.85 in
VENINI vase Yemen multicolor Murano Glass, Signed 2014, Design by Sottsass
By Ettore Sottsass, Venini
Located in Venezia, IT
VENINI vase Yemen multicolor Murano Glass, Signed 2014 and designed by Ettore Sottsass with original box and paperwork. The Yemen vase, designed by Ettore ...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Venini Murano Glass Vase
By Venini
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A stunning Murano glass vase by Venini, featuring luminous cobalt blue glass with a vibrant red rim. A bulbous, spherical form with saturated sapphire color and a contrasting red glass rim provide striking visual punctuation, while the hand-blown construction displays the fluid, organic quality that defines masterful Murano glass. Venini represents the pinnacle of Murano glassmaking tradition, combining centuries-old Venetian techniques with contemporary design sensibility. Founded in 1921, the house became renowned for pushing glass as an art form through collaborations with leading designers and architects. The bold color saturation and clean modernist form exemplify Venini's approach—honoring traditional Murano craftsmanship while creating pieces that feel thoroughly modern and sculptural. In excellent condition with minor surface scuffs consistent with age and display. Etched "VENINI 2000" signature on base with "VENINI MURANO...
Glass
$1,221Sale Price|58% Off
H 11.03 in Dm 5.91 in
Round Venini Vase Murano Glass 1985 Multi-Color Italian Design
By Venini
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Round Venini vase Murano glass 1985 multi-color Italian design.
Murano Glass
Riccio' Vase by Gae Aulenti in Green for Venini, Italy 2006
By Gae Aulenti, Venini
Located in Hellouw, NL
Some objects rely on contrast rather than complexity. The ‘Riccio’ vase by Gae Aulenti for Venini, designed in 2006 follows this approach through the combination of a sculptural silh...
Murano Glass
Venini Art Glass Vase with Inciso Decoration Paolo Venini, Murano 1956
By Paolo Venini, Venini
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Venini Art Glass vase with Inciso Decoration Paolo Venini, Murano 1956 A vintage art glass vase in erba pesante (grass green) glass with layered...
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Laura de Santillana, Italy, Numeri Murrine Plate
By Venini, Laura de Santillana
Located in Uccle, BE
Hand welded and ground Murano glass plate with an arrangement of polychrome murrines depicting numbers from zero to nine and nine to zero. Designed in 1975 and awarded during exhi...
Art Glass
"Pezzato" Vase by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini
By Venini, Fulvio Bianconi
Located in Milan, IT
Remarkable "Pezzato" vase by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini. Signed with three-line acid stamp to underside.
Murano Glass
$5,815
H 15.75 in W 3.55 in D 4.73 in
“Inciso” – Murano glass vase by Paolo Venini - Venini Murano Italy
By Venini, Paolo Venini
Located in Uccle, BE
“Inciso” – Murano glass vase by Paolo Venini. Large oval-section vase in “pesante” midnight blue glass with a darker layer. The exterior body completely incised with a wheel. Referen...
Blown Glass
Sold
H 17.33 in Dm 5.32 in
Vase mod. "Acco" by A. Mendini for Venini Aquamarine Murano Glass 2005 Italy
By Alessandro Mendini, Venini
Located in Palermo, IT
Beautiful vase mod. "Acco" designed by Alessandro Mendini for Venini. Entirely in aquamarine colored layered glass, blown and worked by hand, with a double transparent hot wire. Present the labels of Venini and an Italian jewelry store.. On the bottom, scratched, the signature "Murano 2005...
Murano Glass
Small Bowl in Green Sommerso Glass, Carlo Scarpa for Venini Murano 1930s
By Venini, Carlo Scarpa
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Small Bowl in Green Sommerso Glass, Carlo Scarpa for Venini Murano 1930s An art glass bowl in green sommerso glass, designed by Carlo Scarpa and manufactured by Venini Murano Venice...
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Murano Glass 1950 Colored Vase by Venni
By Gio Ponti, Venini
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Very elegant vase in the style of Gio Ponti. This vase is made in Murano glass for Venini. The colors are very cheerful. See detailed picture 7 for all the dimensions.
Murano Glass