Italian Rostrato Murano Glass Table Lamp in the Manner of Barovier & Toso, 1940s - 2 Available

An Italian Murano glass table lamp from the 1940s, in the manner of Barovier & Toso, defined by an rostrato surface that transforms clear glass into something almost crystalline.

The lamp is constructed from stacked rings of thick transparent glass, each worked with rows of sharply projecting points. Rather than applied ornament sitting on an otherwise smooth body, the texture becomes the architecture of the piece. The repeated rings build upward from a narrow cylindrical base before expanding into a broad, tiered shade, giving the lamp a silhouette that feels simultaneously geometric and organic.

The rostrato technique is what gives the lamp its visual depth. Each projection catches, refracts, and distorts the surrounding light, creating shifting pockets of brightness and shadow across the surface. Seen closely, the glass reveals irregular folds, stretched forms, and subtle variations from one point to the next, details that give the disciplined repetition a distinctly hand-worked quality.

Its attribution to Barovier & Toso is particularly fitting. The Murano house became known for pushing traditional Venetian glassmaking toward increasingly sculptural and experimental forms during the 20th century, and rostrato glass became one of the most recognizable expressions of that approach.

Sold and priced individually.

About Barovier & Toso
The Barovier dynasty traces its roots to 1295, when Jacobello Barovier, a master glassblower, began transforming molten sand and minerals into incandescent works of art.

For centuries, the family maintained its legacy, crafting exquisite glass pieces until the mid-20th century, when it merged with another renowned glassworks to become Barovier & Toso. This evolution reflects a commitment to artistry and tradition that endures to this day.