Description
Background Info and Provenance
A LARGE (60cm in height) Venini feature lamp made in Murano, Italy in the late 1950’s by Toni Zuccheri. This is the most prestigious table lamp I’ve stocked in 15-years of trading. The earthy quality of the HAND-CARVED Onxy base (type of marble) mixed with the free-form designer glass globe top gives this piece a captivating look. This piece seems “up in the clouds” but grounded at the same time- you feel caught in two worlds with this one.
I’m 100% convinced this is the work of Toni Zuccheri. There are many factors that have pointed me to this and it was not a decision I’ve made lightly. I’ve spent at least 5 hours researching this piece online and the longer I trawl the more convinced I am it’s Zuccheri’s. I found this lamp in a Sydney antique centre and knew it was special the second I saw it. It’s obvious the glass globe is free-form (hand-made) and could only have been created by an Master glass-artist such as Toni Zuccheri. The base is HAND-CARVED from Onxy. The big Italian designers took to the use of onyx in designer pieces in the late 50’s / early 60’s. I’ve seen coffee tables to hall tables in onxy, table lamps to bowls and they come up time and again identified as mid-century Italian. The cord, plug and inline switch are all exactly the same as other electrical hardware I’ve seen on various VINTAGE (50’s/60’s) designer lamps made in Europe but exported to Australia at the time they were made. My guess is that it was stocked by Artes Studios back in the 50’s- I’d say it would have been too pricey for department stores such as Grace Brothers and Horden & Sons.
I will stand behind my attribution here- I’ve put a lot of research in this and can’t see any other possibility. If someone forced me to bet money on the provenance of this I’d put a lot of money on “Italian”, “Toni Zuccheri” and “Mid-Century”. One thing is for sure- I’ve not come across another lamp even remotely like this in 17 years of trading and I doubt anyone in Australia will see another exactly the same again. This gives it “pinnacle” investment appeal in its own right HOWEVER with the Toni Zuccheri name on it, it reaches the realm where virtually any value could be assigned. This lamp has been independently valued at AU $3000+ (RETAIL). In anyone’s eyes this a solid investment that should make a strong financial return in the future.
Zuccheri’s sculptures immediately won fans the world over and by the 1980’s his work became Kings of gallery exhibitions and publications. He first used glass in the 1960’s after collaborating with Venini (I’d say this is a Venini piece). He continued with Venini into the 1970’s and in the 80’s he worked with several glass factories including Veart and Barovier & Toso.
And if you don’t give a shite who made it and where it was made that’s all good too because the piece has TIMELESS good-looks. It is not in trend at the moment because something like this is ALWAYS in trend. Items that combine chic designer with earthy elements NEVER go out of style and are always sought-after by interior architects the world-over. This piece proves that Mother Nature is the best designer of them all- look at that figuring in the onxy- just beautiful! This piece will make your space look warm and cosy in winter and cutting-edge every other season.
Yes, you can get $50 lamps from Ikea that look ok-enough but when you buy these items you’re saying that artist’s jobs are better off given to machines. There are swarms of people the world over itching to hand-create inspiring pieces for us to fall for- give them the courage to jump in by putting your money in items made by the hands and hearts of people. And as a bonus, the special pieces (like this) will only become more valuable as they change hands and eventually get passed onto new generations. Watch the value of this one rise in coming years!
This piece was created in Italy by hand AROUND the late 1950’s and is in excellent condition. It has NO noticeable chips, NO cracks and NO noticeable scratches. NO noticeable damage AT ALL. It has been very well looked after for a piece of this age and nature so presents brilliantly overall. It’s hand-made so expect minor maker’s “flaws” (eg. tiny ash flecks in the glass). These actually INCREASE the value of this piece- not decrease as many people would automatically think.
Measurements. Onyx Lamp. Height- approx 60 cm. Across- 27 cm.
Read our 1150+ feedback comments (ALL for vintage design SALES). This is your guarantee that I strive to describe my items as accurately as I can.
PICK-UP . . . from 30 or 40 minutes North of BRISBANE city is accepted but postage is preferred as my home is hard to find. Because of this I will nominate a friend or family member for you to collect the item from if you need collection. Pick-up in person must be worked out prior to purchase- thank you. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE is offered internationally. All our Decorative Arts pieces are delivered through AUSTRALIA POST. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE ESTIMATES. . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To BRISBANE- most of our pieces cost $15 - $18 to send. . . To SYDNEY or MELBOURNE- Small Vase- around $20 - $23, Medium Vase- around $20 - $25, Large Vase- around $24 - $30. Let us know if you need an EXACT COST for postage prior to purchase. The above postage estimates include $2.95 for a signature on delivery. . . INSURANCE against being lost or broken in transit up to the value of $200 is included in the estimates above. If your vase is cheaper or more expensive than $200 this will effect your postage fee slightly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A BOXING FEE of $3.00 is included in the fee above to cover the cost of searching for and storing used packing materials. With the millions of cardboard boxes that end up as landfill every year we don’t believe in supporting the manufacture of boxes for post. Instead of buying new boxes and packing materials and passing this cost onto our customers we spend considerable time sourcing used boxes and then fashioning boxes to fit each item. We do the same for bubble-wrap and foam pieces. This requires a large investment of time, energy, ingenuity, organization and storage space- it is much easier and cheaper to buy new packing materials but I can’t justify taking the easy way out when so much packing material ends up polluting our earth. Our $3.00 charge does little to pay for the time (and storage) needed do this and to pack your item (there is also the time needed to get your package to the post office). This is something we’re happy to do for our customers and the environment. We appreciate your support in this area.
We accept DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT. We send photographic ID of the store owner (Michael Grealy) to all customers at the point of sale, along with media articles about iNVISeDGE with photos of Michael Grealy in them (most of these articles are about 10 years old). Your payment will be paid into an Australian ANZ bank account under the name Michael Grealy (or iNVISeDGE). Please read our ebay feedback spanning more than 15 years for irrefutable proof of our online trading history and reputation. Ebay feedback can ONLY be left by LEGITIMATE PAYING customers! Additionally please be aware that in Australia ALL consumers are protected BY LAW if the goods or services they buy are not as described. (But this should be of no concern- in our first 15 years of trading we have over 1150 positive ebay feedback comments and ZERO negative feedback comments.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions a DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT can be made at the time of collection. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On occasions CASH payment when you collect your item may also be available. Confirm prior to purchase if you need this. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other payment methods are available but problematic and may incur additional fees. Tell us prior to purchase if you are unable to feel 100% confident with our trading history and payment methods so we can negotiate something else with you.
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