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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Murano & Italy Glass => Topic started by: rocco on July 01, 2014, 02:24:13 PM

Title: Napoleone Martinuzzi dolphins for Venini
Post by: rocco on July 01, 2014, 02:24:13 PM

Unfortunately in poor condition (both are missing several parts of their fins), but I was still extremely happy to find this pair of Martinuzzi dolphins at the fleamarket last saturday.
Especially after seeing the great Martinuzzi exhibition at the glass museum >> Le Stanze del Vetro (http://www.lestanzedelvetro.it/en/) on the island of San Giorgio in Venice last year...

Made of clear glass with hollow bodies, on white pasta glass pedestals, height 34 cm.
Both marked with the 2-line acid stamp "venini murano".

According to the catalogue, pattern nr 10318.

Thanks for looking
MIchael

Title: Re: Napoleone Martinuzzi dolphins for Venini
Post by: glassobsessed on July 01, 2014, 07:48:32 PM

Very smart, even though they narrowly survived that pod of Killer Whales...

John

Title: Re: Napoleone Martinuzzi dolphins for Venini
Post by: rocco on July 02, 2014, 07:15:32 AM

Thanks John!
Yes, I think they are still quite classy ;)
They remind me of a couple of watchdogs guarding St. Mark's Square...

BTW, does anybody know why this form of fish are usually called dolphins? (From the biological point of view these are definately fish and not mammals...)

Michael

Title: Re: Napoleone Martinuzzi dolphins for Venini
Post by: glassobsessed on July 02, 2014, 09:19:39 AM

Mythology and tradition I guess, the form from mythology, possibly going back to the ancient Greek civilisations. Tradition, as on Murano the forms often have a long history, for example, in the nineteenth century revival of glass making the techniques and styles of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were re-created.

I think the following urn (with chimeric heads) is an example of that process at work.

Title: Re: Napoleone Martinuzzi dolphins for Venini
Post by: rocco on July 02, 2014, 12:46:13 PM

Another great piece, John. Do you know who made it?

I have this lion heads tazza, also very Venetian >> http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,53519.0.html (http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,53519.0.html)
Not attributed unfortunately, but I would think from the early 20th century...

BTW, I took a few pics at the Martinuzzi exhibition last year. Every glass enthusiast visiting Venice should go to that lovely museum Le Stanze del Vetro -- opposite St. Mark's Square (beautiful location), free entry, great catalogues:
>> Link (https://picasaweb.google.com/107330317087089352634/MartinuzziExhibition2013?authkey=Gv1sRgCKe8r_K41_jzpQE&noredirect=1)

Michael

Title: Re: Napoleone Martinuzzi dolphins for Venini
Post by: glassobsessed on July 02, 2014, 09:59:39 PM

Ooh the plants are fantastic, I reckon I could find room for one here. 8)

The urn, perhaps Lorenzo Radi and Salviati, my best guess at present. I bought it to sell a while back but now I don't want to part with it.