Ashtray or bowl in Murano glass Sommerso Italy, 1960s

Elegant vintage piece made of Murano glass, created in the spirit of Italian productions from the mid-20th century and characteristic of the modernist aesthetic of the 1960s. This bowl, which can also be used as an ashtray or a catch-all, stands out for its organic and biomorphic shape, composed of four lobes with delicately raised tips. Its silhouette evokes a stylised flower or a star-like form, with soft and irregular lines typical of hot glass work. The piece features a remarkable play of colours in depth, achieved through the Sommerso technique. This glassmaking technique involves successively encasing different layers of coloured glass within a mass of clear glass, creating colour contrasts and a significant sense of depth. The heart of the piece presents a pink/fuchsia hue, gradually enveloped by a layer of cobalt blue to sapphire blue, and then by a thick layer of clear glass. Depending on the incidence of light, the different coloured layers appear with varying intensity, producing beautiful effects of transparency and reflection. The object also has a significant thickness of glass, particularly at the base, which gives it considerable weight and excellent stability. The edges and tips exhibit the irregularities and nuances that can accompany handcrafted glasswork. With its compact size and sculptural form, this piece can be used as an art ashtray, catch-all, or simply as a decorative object placed on a table, console, or shelf. A beautiful example of vintage Italian glassware, particularly representative of the taste for organic shapes and chromatic layering effects that characterised Murano design during the 1950s-1970s.