$229.00

This piece is AU$229. NOTE- our prices are in Australian Dollars- AU$240 is significantly less in American Dollars. AVAILABLE from North Brisbane but can also be posted WORLDWIDE. This listing has also been uploaded for people wanting to buy OR SELL a similar piece- use the links below.

 

Out of stock

This listing is for the black and white (and copper aventurine) swirl filigrana piece only shown in every photo. AU$229- AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS. $229 AU is significantly less in American dollars.

Others have been included in the group photo to get a relative feel for the colour and size of the piece on offer.

Background Info and Provenance

An art glass vase made BY HAND in Murano, Italy with glass threads known as filigrana (Italian: filigree glass). The filigrana style originated on the island of Murano in the 16th century. Manufacture on Murano continued until the 18th century. Filigree glass was then revived in the 20th century by Dino Martens. Martens became the Aureliano Toso’s artistic director in 1939 which began a fertile collaboration that continued until 1963. The vase on offer was made in the mid-to-late 1950’s. These are highly regarded pieces of art that regularly fetch about AU $1100-$2000 each on an international platform (depending on size). See the screenshots shown in this listing. The one shown for GBP1179 (equivalent to AU$1903) is 29cm in height. I’ve seen two of these vases in person in Sydney. One was at Lawsons Auctions- it was 20cm in height and sold on the 30/09/16 for roughly $920 (including buyer’s premium). The piece on offer here is a solid investment. (I’m 100% certain this is Dino Martens for Aureliano Toso- see below.)

The thing I love most about this piece is that it can become the focus of nearly any glass display and the fact it’s made BY HAND. The expertise required to create this piece is astounding which is why they’re such a strong investment. Any glass artist will tell you they would be almost impossible to copy because the experience of the glass worker means they’d have to sell for what these Italian originals sell for. The Chinese market has made ribbon like pieces but these have internal paint as the threads that look nothing like this. They look cheap and are. This Dino Martens design is distinctive and when you see (and feel it) in person- the glass threads create a textured effect- it’s a very tactile piece. The threads are not all completely uniform in size (because the piece is made by hand). This one is identical to the two others I’ve seen in person in high-end auctions (those ones also didn’t have a label- most don’t). ANY high-end auction would accept this piece which makes it a very solid investment- take it to someone who knows art-glass and the piece will always fetch a strong price.

If you believe artist jobs should NOT be given to machines consider investing in hand-made pieces- this sends a clear message you would like artist jobs to be given back to people. There are few better ways to invest in your home and reduce landfill.