Exceptional Antique Venetian Murano Aventurine Art Glass Ewer c1880-1900 Victorian Revival

Exceptional Antique Venetian Murano Aventurine Art Glass Ewer

Late Victorian Period, Circa 1880-1900

An exceptional hand-blown Venetian (Murano) art glass ewer of outstanding artistic and technical quality, believed to date from the late nineteenth century, circa 1880-1900.

This remarkable example beautifully captures the elegance of the Venetian Revival period, displaying a richly coloured bulbous body decorated with genuine gold aventurine over a warm amber and ivory ground. The aventurine sparkles beautifully as the light changes, creating exceptional depth and movement throughout the glass.

The elegant flared neck is complemented by an extraordinary sculptural clear glass dragon handle, skilfully formed from multiple ribbed glass trails with finely worked cresting and decorative applied terminals. The body is further embellished with individually applied raspberry-style glass prunts, inspired by historic Renaissance Venetian glassmaking and demonstrating the exceptional craftsmanship of the maker.

The quality of the hot-working, the elaborate sculptural decoration and the use of genuine aventurine all indicate production by a highly accomplished Murano workshop during the Venetian Revival period. While no firm attribution is being made, the craftsmanship is very much in the tradition of the finest Venetian makers such as Salviati and the Barovier family.

This is a substantial and highly decorative collector’s piece with outstanding display presence and is a fine example of nineteenth-century Venetian artistic glass.

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Condition

Please study all photographs carefully as they form part of the description. Additional photographs have been annotated with red circles to identify the specific areas of historic damage.

The main body of the ewer is free from damage and displays beautifully, retaining its wonderful colour, iridescence and decorative detail.

There is historic damage to the upper section of the elaborate sculptural dragon handle. This includes the loss of several small decorative spikes, spines and projecting glass elements along the dragon’s back, together with a small decorative point lower down the handle.

These areas of loss have been specifically identified in the annotated photographs to ensure prospective buyers can clearly see their locations and extent. The original listing videos also provide additional views of the handle and its intricate construction.

The damage is confined to the decorative handle and does not affect the main body of the ewer.

Despite these historic losses, the piece retains its remarkable sculptural appearance and remains an exceptionally decorative example of antique Venetian art glass.

There is also light wear to the underside, consistent with age and use.

As with any antique glass object of this complexity, the condition should be considered in the context of its age, delicate construction and surviving craftsmanship.

The ewer is offered in its existing condition, with no restoration undertaken by us.

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Dimensions

• Height: 24 cm

• Maximum Diameter: 16 cm

• Weight: 650 grams

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Origin

Murano, Venice, Italy

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Date

Late 19th Century

Circa 1880-1900

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Features

• Hand-blown Venetian (Murano) art glass

• Genuine gold aventurine decoration

• Exceptional sculptural dragon handle

• Applied raspberry-style decorative glass prunts

• Fine Victorian Venetian Revival craftsmanship

• Rare and highly decorative collector’s piece

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Collector’s Note

Examples of Venetian art glass displaying this level of hand craftsmanship are becoming increasingly difficult to acquire. Although the dragon handle has historic damage, the ewer’s beautifully preserved body, exceptional artistry and impressive display presence make it a wonderful addition to any serious Murano or Victorian art glass collection.