Murano glass. Salviati & Co. Italy, first third of the twentieth century.

Murano glass. SALVIATI & Co. Italy, first third of the twentieth century.
Murano glass, blown, in smoky gray tone and with applied particles of fine gold.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 39 x 18 x 18 cm.

Glass in Murano glass of the Salviati firm, blown and translucent, with a subtle smoky finish and decorated with fine gold particles. The sculptural foot is decorated with mythological dolphins and crested highlights.

Antonio Salviati (Vicenza, 1816-1890) was an Italian lawyer and entrepreneur, founder of a high-class Venetian glass factory, responsible for the revival of the Venetian glass industry in the 19th century. In 1866 he partnered with Austen Henry Layard, the archaeologist who discovered Nineveh, with whom they formed the company Società Salviati e Compagni, based in Venice. The Salviati company won several important commissions, such as the mosaics of the back of the high altar of Westminster Abbey (1867), the ceiling of the Albert Memorial Chapel in Windsor Castle and the Palatine Chapel in Aachen (1870-1875). In 1876 he separated from his English partners and founded a new company which, in addition to mosaics, produced ornamental and table glass in a high-quality Renaissance style. In the 1870s he also produced pieces in imitation of ancient Roman glass. His company competed in all the universal exhibitions of the late nineteenth century.