FLAVIO POLI ANTIQUE ITALIAN MODERN ART MURANO GLASS ASHTRAY VINTAGE ITALY 1950s

EXQUISITE VINTAGE ITALIAN MODERN MURANO ART GLASS ASHTRAY BY REVERED ITALIAN GLASSMAKER FLAVIO POLI. CELEBRATED FOR HIS REVOLUTIONARY SOMMERSO TECHNIQUE. THIS STRIKING SCULPTURAL FORM FEATURES A RICH, DEEP COBALT BLUE CORE-ENCAPSULATED WITHIN LAYERS OF CRYSTAL CLEAR AND PALE AQUA GLASS-CREATING A CAPTIVATING OPTICAL DEPTH THAT SHIFTS BEAUTIFULLY WITH LIGHT AND ANGLE. THE BOLD, FACETED GEOMETRIC CUT-REMINISCENT OF A PRECISION-CARVED GEMSTONE-IS A SIGNATURE DESIGN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATED WITH POLI'S MID-CENTURY WORK FOR SEGUSO VETRI D'ARTE, WHERE HE PUSHED MURANO GLASS INTO THE REALM OF MODERN ART.

DIMENSIONS: 4"H x 6"W. Born in Chioggia, Italy, Flavio Poli studied ceramics at the Istituto d'Arte di Venezia.

In 1929, he began working as a glass artist at the Industrie Vetraie Artistiche Murano (IVAM) glass factory, where he designed mostly sculptural pieces. In 1934, he joined the firm Barovier Seguso Ferro and, after just three years, became artistic director and a partner in the company. In the 1950s, he began experimenting with Sommerso glass, a technique that involves overlapping layers of glass in a variety of colors and thicknesses. The resulting pieces received international recognition as superior examples of 20th-century Murano art glass, and Poli was awarded the Compasso d'Oro prize in 1954. At the height of his career, Poli won five Grand Prix awards at various Milan Triennales, and his designs were exhibited in numerous editions of the Venice Biennale.

Poli left Seguso in 1963 to form a division of the Società Veneziana di Conterie e Cristallerie. He died in Venice in 1984 and his works can be found in numerous public and private collections around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Murano Glass Museum, Venice and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. Poli is best known for perfecting and popularizing the "Sommerso" technique (Italian for "submerged"), in which layers of different-colored glass are encased within one another. Created depth and dimensionality never seen before. Elevated Murano glass into modern sculptural art.

This technique became the defining look of mid-century Murano glass and remains one of the most sought-after styles today. Artistic director at Seguso Vetri d'Arte during its most important period.

Key figure in bringing Murano glass to international modern design markets. Helped position Italian glass alongside other major mid-century design movements. Flavio Poli received some of the highest honors in the decorative arts world.

Grand Prize - Venice Biennale (1936). One of the most prestigious international art exhibitions. Grand Prize - Milan Triennale (1954). Recognized for excellence in modern design and glass innovation.

Multiple international exhibition honors for Murano glass design. These awards firmly established him as a master innovator in 20th-century decorative arts.

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