Barovier&Toso brings three collectibles to Palazzo Barovier, in the heart of Murano, to celebrate the value of history, technique and daring creativity, for the 2021 edition of Venice Glass Week.
4-12 September 2021 | Barovier&Toso renews its participation in Venice Glass Week, the international festival of glassmaking organized by the city of Venice. For this 5th iteration, titled #VivaVetro!, a tribute to the colour and energy of glass, Barovier&Toso has focused precisely on the chromatic aspects.
Efeso | Blu Mirabilia, this is the theme selected by the company to illustrate the timeless beauty of Venetian Crystal. For the occasion, three one-of-a-kind pieces for true collectors will be displayed and available for purchase at Palazzo Barovier&Toso, designed in 1964 by Ercole Barovier, who chose the name Efeso for the collection. The technique utilized to produce the pieces – which received extraordinary acclaim, first shown at the Venice Biennale and then published in the magazine Domus – dates back even further in time, to the end of the 1920s.
The items displayed at Palazzo Barovier&Toso are reissues of the Efeso series made in the 1970s by Barovier&Toso. They represent the last three exemplars in the company’s possession: a plate and two vases, with a recessed form on two sides. The pieces stand out for their intense blue colour and a marvellous pattern generated by a multitude of internal bubbles, each different from the next in an irregular arrangement. The mixture is of great impact, producing an image suggesting the waves of the sea rippling on the shore, foamy and seemingly alive, like the bright, glossy blue tone of the objects, with alternation of transparent and concentrated effects.
The vivid image is the result of the technique applied in their making: the colouring has been applied hot, without fusion, using a method invented by Ercole Barovier himself. This procedure calls for the inclusion of oxides, salts or other elements between two sheets of white-hot transparent glass. The high temperature triggers special chromatic reactions and surprising effects, unique by nature. It is a complex, sophisticated technique that calls for great care and mastery, as well as knowledge of the “recipes” to obtain each colour.
Entrepreneur, designer and art director of the company for nearly 50 years, Ercole Barovier stood out for his artistic talent and innovative spirit. The creations featured in the event Efeso | Blu Mirabilia are precious collectibles, bearing witness to the extraordinary contribution made by Ercole Barovier to the history of glassmaking, across a long career of daring creative experimentation. Besides the engraved Barovier&Toso trademark on the base, each piece comes with an affidavit of authenticity and special individual packaging.
