Murano Glass Bowl with Spiked Rim, Smoky Green, 29 cm, 1960s/70s

This large bowl of mouth-blown glass, shaped freely at the furnace, comes from Murano and was probably made in the 1960s or 1970s. There is no label or signature on this piece. Bowls with freely pulled points and spikes were produced as table centrepieces by numerous Murano glassworks in those years, which is why no specific manufacturer is named here.

The glass is tinted in a smoky grey-green that changes with the thickness of the wall: in the shallow hollow it appears light and almost silvery, while towards the rims and in the points it deepens to a dark bottle green with dark contours. Seen from above, the bowl has an almost square outline whose four corners are drawn out into long, slightly upturned points; between them, two smaller, flame-like pulled spikes rise on each side. In profile the bowl sweeps far out beyond its foot like a pair of wings. The foot consists of a solid core of clear glass wrapped with a twisted, ribbon-like glass coil, which shows through the base as a small rosette in the hollow. Fine irregularities in the glass bear witness to the handwork.

As a centrepiece on the dining table, as an object on a sideboard, console or coffee table, or as a catch-all in the hallway, the bowl shows to best advantage where light falls through the glass and traces its green contours. It suits a mid-century interior as well as a contemporary one. The bowl measures 29 cm in width, 29 cm in depth and 12 cm in height and is in very good condition.