Italy, ca. 1900/05 and 1925/30 Polychrome murrine vases with applied handles Red: 6" h (15 cm) Blue: 7 3/8" h (18.5cm)
First and foremost, Vetreria Fratelli Toso was known for their production of high quality and very detailed murrine glass. During the early part of the twentieth century, production of murrine wares was immensely popular, and Fratelli Toso offered a plethora of styles and in a very wide variety of models. Presented here are two differing examples. The blue vase is from the very early twentieth century and the red vase is from a bit later, around 1925 or 1930. The red example has the slightly later lens, or window, type murrine. This type of murrine is seldom seen today because there were significant production issues, as the clear glass portions cooled at a very different rate than the opaque colored portions. Examining the two together offers a glimpse into the evolution of their production.
Excellent condition. The red vase is without damage. The blue example has a very minor heat check crack to one of the handles near the attachment point, which happened in the making. The handle is steady and the issue can only be seen when examining the vase at a certain angle and in the right lighting. Given the production time of around 1900 when technology was still very rudimentary, occurrences like these were very common. As it did not impact usability or aesthetics, the factory sold it on with other examples.
Reference: Fratelli Toso Murano 1902-1980, Heiremans and Toso, p. 151 shows the series.
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