Murano Sommerso vase, faceted bottle green, 18 cm, 1960s/70s

This faceted vase of mouth-blown art glass is attributed to Murano and was presumably made in the 1960s or 1970s, when cut sommerso pieces were among the best-known works of the Venetian glass island. This attribution is supported by the sommerso technique, with a deep green core beneath a thick layer of clear glass, and by the angular facet cutting with large, flat-polished surfaces often found on vases from the circle of Alessandro Mandruzzato and Flavio Poli for Seguso. There is no label or signature on this piece, which is why no specific glassworks or designer is named and the origin should be understood as a stylistic attribution.

The slender, crystal-like body tapers from its widest point in the lower third to an almost square mouth and runs down into a pointed, colourless cut base with a small, flat-ground standing surface. The facets refract the light, so that the bottle green core appears, depending on the angle, from light emerald at the mouth to almost black fir green at the bottom. In the clear base, the rounded lower edge of the coloured layer stands out clearly and is reflected several times by the cut edges, as in a prism.

As a bud vase for single branches or flowers or as a sculptural object on a sideboard, windowsill or shelf, the vase suits a mid-century interior as well as a contemporary setting. The thick-walled glass has a noticeable weight and shows a few tiny air bubbles that belong to free shaping at the furnace. It measures 18 cm in height and 8.5 cm in diameter and is in very good condition with only minimal age-related traces.