Object Title: Sommerso blown glassvase
Designer: Luciano Gaspari in Italy by Salviati and Co.
Date: c. 1958
Medium: Glass
Description:
This multilayer glass, also known as sommerso, was made in 1958 by
Luciano Gaspar in Venice, Italy by Salviati and Co. This vase
resembles the sommerso bottles with coloured twisted bands that
Gaspari displayed at the Venice Biennale in 1958. This vase
resembles to the coloured twisted-band sommerso bottles that Gaspari
exhibited at the 1958 Venice Biennale. It is a vivid expression of
mid-century italian glass artistry.
Cultural Significance:
Emerging from a period of reconstruction and renewed artistic
exploration, the 1950s marked a renaissance in Italian decorative
arts. Blown glass proved an ideal medium for these explorations. It
offered infinite flexibility, transparency, and vibrancy—qualities
that embodied the optimism and forward-looking spirit of the
post-war era. Gaspari’s sommerso works, in particular, captured the
imagination with their inner depth and rich chromatic layering,
turning functional vessels into sculptural statements.