Vase, Fazzoletto
- Designed by
- Fulvio Bianconi (1915–1996) and Paolo Venini (1895–1959)
- Material
- Glass
- Produced by
- Venini S.p.A., Murano, Italy
- Dimensions
- 26.4 x 21.1 x 19.1 cm
Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, gift of Roy Poretzky, 2008.338
The most celebrated design of the Venini firm was the Fazzoletto (Italian for Handkerchief) vase, the result of collaboration between the firm’s chief glass designer Fulvio Bianconi and founder, Paolo Venini. Squares of soft and pliable hot glass was held upside down on a rod, allowed to fall into irregular, sculptural forms, until the glass cooled and hardened in curving peaks and folds, producing a form that resembles a handkerchief in use.
The glassmaker’s skill is seen in the rippling rim, which is unique for each vase. Bianconi created this design in a broad range of sizes, colors, and decorative patterns, initially produced in 1949.
Indianapolis Museum of Art. © Estate of Fulvio Bianconi / SOCAN (2019).