Ercole Barovier left an indelible mark on the world of Italian modernist glassmaking — his vibrant use of color and exploration of innovative techniques yielded glass vases, chandeliers and other lighting and decorative objects that stand out in any interior many decades later.
Barovier grew up on the Venetian island of Murano, a region of the world famed for its production of artisanal glassworks. By the time he was born, in 1889, his family had already been in the glassmaking business for centuries, as the Barovier dynasty began in 1295. Nonetheless, Barovier did not choose glassmaking as his first career — he instead studied medicine as a young man before going on to work as a radio operator in the first World War.
The year after the war ended, Barovier joined his family’s business (over time, the manufactory’s names have included Fratelli Barovier, Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C. and Artisti Barovier). He was appointed artistic director in 1926, and subsequently managed the business with his brother Nicolò. From 1927 onward, Barovier was the chief designer at his family’s glassworks. He became sole proprietor in 1934, and in 1936, merged his own family business with the Venetian glass factory SAIAR Ferro Toso. They renamed the company Barovier & Toso, a name under which the company still operates today.
Early in his career, Barovier garnered praise for his work with murrine glass, one of the traditional arts for which Murano is widely known. In the 1930s, he began pushing the boundaries of tradition and experimenting with new ways to bring color into his glass objects.
Ercole Barovier is credited with having invented colorazione a caldo senza fusione, a method of introducing metals and oxides into glassworks. His style became defined by his use of riotous color and later, audacious forms. He created sculptures, table lamps and other pieces using mosaic techniques to add a kaleidoscope of striking hues to his work. Barovier had a particular gift to bring out glass’s unique properties to refract and filter light in every shade of the rainbow.
Barovier took endless inspiration from the world around him, from the play of light reflecting off the canals near his home to artworks from classical antiquity. Prior to World War II, his works included naturalistic designs including floral sconces, vine-wrapped chandeliers and sea life-inspired bowls (the manufactory was known for sinuous lighting pieces that are often described as embodying “Liberty Style” — the Italian term for Art Nouveau).
Barovier focused on reinterpreting classical techniques and styles in the postwar years. Geometrically patterned vases that recalled Ancient Greek pottery in their bold forms — as well as precisely detailed Art Deco glass serving bowls — are among his characteristic works from this period. Gold leaf was applied as a decorative flourish, and Barovier worked to ensure that his pieces reflected contemporary trends. His mid-century glass is particularly sought after by today’s collectors.
Up until his retirement in 1972, Barovier continued his exploration of the creative potential in glassmaking. His fearlessness in combining cutting-edge techniques with deeply traditional practices led him to create over 25,000 designs over the course of his life.
Barovier’s work garnered international acclaim. He received many awards and accolades, including awards at the Milan Triennial exhibitions in 1933 and 1954, the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1937, and the Compasso d'Oro in 1956.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Ercole Barovier lighting, decorative objects and serveware.
Partnerships come and go within the community of glass-making artisans on the Venetian island of Murano, where business relationships seem as complex as the shifting alliances in the notoriously acrimonious Italian parliament. Formed in 1942 by members of families with centuries of experience in the craft, Barovier&Toso has proven to be one of the most enduring and prosperous Italian glass manufactories of recent decades. Under the nearly 50-year artistic directorship of cofounder Ercole Barovier (1889–1974), the company created buoyant traditional pieces such as chandeliers, sconces and other lighting fixtures, and it pioneered an array of innovative modernist glass designs with bold colors, patterns and surfaces.
The Barovier dynasty began in 1295, when Jacobello Barovier, mentioned in historical documents as a master glassblower, began pinching, cutting, blowing and twisting a molten mixture of sand and minerals into incandescent works of art. It remained entirely family-owned until the mid-20th century, when it merged with another glassworks to become Barovier&Toso.
To appeal to gentler, more conservative tastes, Barovier&Toso produced a range of lilting, sinuous lighting pieces that are often described as embodying “Liberty Style” — the Italian term for Art Nouveau, taken from the name of famed London department store Liberty & Co., which promoted 19th-century organic textile designs and Arts and Crafts-style furniture in the manner of William Morris. The hallmarks of the style in Barovier&Toso works are elements of glass in the shape of thick leaves, fronds and flower petals, deployed along with other naturalistic ornament in sconces, pendants and chandeliers.
Ercole Barovier began his personal aesthetic transition toward modernism in the 1930s with his Primavera series of vases and animal sculptures — idiosyncratic milky-white and clear glass filled with tiny bubbles and hairline interior fissures that he produced for Artisti Barovier, a firm headed by his father and uncle. Later, with Barovier&Toso, he would explore such novel styles as the mosaic-like Pezzato glass; fluid Spiral patterns; the pebbly textured Barbarico line and the complex, layered and highly colored abstractions of the Oriente series of vases and bowls.
Traditional or modern, Barovier&Toso — still under family control — has produced one of the finest and most diverse catalogues of Murano glass in the last 100 years.
Find antique Barovier&Toso chandeliers, serveware, decorative objects and more on 1stDibs.
Murano Barovier Toso Gray Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Decorative Flower Bowl
By Ercole Barovier, Barovier&Toso
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown gray and gold flecks Italian art glass flower shaped bowl. The piece is documented to designer Ercole Barovier for Barovier e Toso, circa 1960s. I...
Gold Leaf
Murano Barovier Toso Gold Flecks Gray White Spots Italian Art Glass Bowl Ashtray
By Barovier&Toso
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown gray and white spots, with gold flecks Italian art glass bowl or ashtray. The piece is documented to designer Ercole Barovier, for the Barovier e ...
Gold Leaf
Barovier Toso Murano Purple Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Chunky Ashtray Bowl
By Ercole Barovier, Barovier&Toso
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown dark purple, controlled bubbles and gold flecks Italian art glass triangle shape bowl. The piece is documented to designer Ercole Barovier, for th...
Gold Leaf
Alfredo Barbini Murano Black Gray Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Centrepiece Bowl
By Alfredo Barbini
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Price per item (2 available as shown). Beautiful and large, vintage Murano hand blown black, grey and gold flecks Italian art glass centerpiece bowl. Documented to designer Alfredo ...
Gold Leaf
Barovier Toso Murano Purple Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Ribbed Seashell Bowl
By Ercole Barovier, Barovier&Toso
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown amethyst purple and gold flecks Italian art glass seashell shaped bowl or ashtray. Documented to designer Ercole Barovier, for Barovier e Toso. Cr...
Gold Leaf
Murano Red Optic Swirl Gold Flecks Italian Art Glass Chunky Bowl Vide-Poche
By Barovier&Toso, Ercole Barovier
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown red and gold flecks Italian art glass sculptural chunky vide-poche, bowl or ashtray. The piece is attributed to the Barovier e Toso company. The b...
Gold Leaf
Murano Glass Bowl with Gold and Silver Inclusions by Seguso, Italy, 1960s
By Seguso Vetri d'Arte
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning decorative Murano glass bowl with gold and silver inclusions. This gorgeous and unique piece was designed by Archimede Seguso and produced in Murano, Italy, during the 1950s...
Gold, Silver
Sculptural Mid-Century Murano Glass Ashtray with Gold Flecks, Barovier style
By Barovier
Located in Roma, IT
We are pleased to offer for sale an elegant hand-crafted ashtray dating to the mid-20th century, made of clear Murano glass and enriched with delicate gold flecks. The design of this...
Murano Glass
Jewel-Tones Murano Glass Sommerso Dish/Bowl w/Gold Polveri, Seguso / Barbini
By Seguso
Located in Warrenton, OR
Jewel-Tones Murano Glass Sommerso Dish/Bowl w/Gold Polveri, Seguso suspected. ****NOTE: Our Shop is Closing Soon.*** This gorgeous piece measures about 7.5 x 7 x 1.75 inches. The colors and shape are stunning. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOLLOWS; PLEASE READ THE BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY. ABOUT OUR LISTINGS: -Most vintage Murano glass is unsigned and unlabeled (see more about this topic below, under the "about vintage Murano glass" section). We identify items as best we can based on our research and experience, but without signature, identifying label, or other documentation, it is ultimately not possible to guarantee an item is from Murano or is by a specific Murano glass maestro. By purchasing from our shop, you are agreeing to accept this fact. If you are uncomfortable with this policy, we ask that you purchase only items that have their original label, artist signature, or other documentation. -Measurements are approximate and generally represent the approximate widest/longest/highest areas of each item. -Please be aware that the color on your monitor and/or in your environment may look somewhat different than in ours and that glass colors often look deeper on dark backgrounds than they do on light backgrounds. -Please keep in mind that vintage glass usually will show evidence of previous ownership, such as scuffing, scratching, and/or other wear such as dulling or mars on base, etc.. Buyers of vintage glass are presumed to understand and accept such hints of previous ownership. We cannot realistically guarantee perfection since vintage glass has typically been used at some point in the past. We do however inspect for and describe flaws found. ABOUT VINTAGE MURANO GLASS: -"Murano" is not a brand. It is the name of the Italian island where the most celebrated master glassblowers create(d) their works. -Vintage Murano glass items may be heavy or light, thick or thin, substantial or petite, etc. Thickness and thinness of glass will tend to vary on some items, especially sculptural items. -Sometimes, small inclusions may be found in or on Murano glass, such as ash or tiny bubbles from the blowing process or tiny raised or pitted areas. These are not considered "damage" but naturally occurring. Nevertheless we point them out if found. -While on occasion a vintage Murano glass item will bear the signature of its creator or have an original label affixed, this is relatively rare; most vintage Murano glass available to the general public is unsigned / unlabeled, especially in the more affordable price ranges. -The bases of Murano glass items are often polished, but not always; the glassblower may have decided not to grind a pontil mark down or highly polish a base if there seemed a risk that doing so could cause damage to the item. -A pontil mark on a Murano glass piece may be visible or not, and may be smooth, rough, raised, indented, or some combination of these. Some finer, more delicate Murano glass items may have a rough pontil mark that may also be either raised or indented, with the rest of the base not. --However, an unpolished base that is also entirely, extremely foggy and rough (as if the entire bottom were grinded with very course sandpaper or metal) is generally considered indicative of a non-Murano work. ABOUT THE TERMS WE USE: "Suspected" means just that -- we suspect the item is by the named artist / from the named region due to its similarities to other items from that artist / region, and sometimes also by the lack of the item's characteristics appearing in other artists' works, but we are not certain. "Assumed" or "likely" means we feel pretty confident it is by the named artist / from the named region but have not found sufficient documentation to confirm it, so while we believe it to be as stated, we are not absolutely certain. "In the style of" means that based on characteristics, we believe it could be by the named artist / from the named region but we could not find sufficient enough evidence to feel comfortable declaring that definitively. In such cases the item could also be by another glassblower (from Murano or otherwise) who was inspired by the named artist. It takes time and study to train the eye to recognize what is and is not Murano-made. While no one is perfect, we feel we're fairly good at it and will state, using terminology explained above for clarification, if we do not feel reasonably certain. However much knowledge may be accrued, no one dealer is likely to know absolutely everything. Since we do not offer returns, please message us with concerns or questions if you have any before purchasing an item. We'll be pleased to respond. #MuranoGlass #seguso #MuranoGlassware #20thcenturyvessels #midcenturymodern #Italian #italianglass #barbini #goldpolveri #Bowls #decorativebowls #Decor #mid-centurymodern #vide-poche #MCM...
Gold Leaf
Rare Mid-Century Modern Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Bowl w/Gold Leaf
By Alfredo Barbini
Located in Warrenton, OR
Rare Mid-Century Modern Alfredo Barbini Murano Glass Bowl w/Gold Leaf This is a really gorgeous, large piece with plenty of gold leaf/gold polveri in a chocolate and white glass by t...
Gold, Gold Leaf
Stunning Large Organic Murano Glass Bowl Catchall Vintage, Italy, 1970s
By Murano Glass Sommerso
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Gorgeous hand blown Murano art glass piece with Sommerso and bullicante techniques. A beautiful organic shaped bowl, catchall or centrepiece, Venice, Murano, Italy, 1970s. Colors are...
Art Glass
an amazing Fulvio Bianconi MURANO very heavy (2.25KG) 1970s BOWL or ashtray
By Fulvio Bianconi
Located in Landshut, BY
This is an incredible piece of craftsmanship! I was just 10 years old when my father, who worked in Milan where I grew up, bought this bowl in Venice together with a huge Fazzoletto...
Glass
