Leslie Piña

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Archimede Seguso: Mid-Mod Glass From Murano : Lace & Stone

Archimede Seguso (1909-1999), one of the great Muranese masters, took traditional glassmaking techniques to extremes. His introduction of merletto lacework technique at the Venice Biennale of 1952 turned heads. His secret for embedding fine lacy threads of glass was never shared. Rather than apply the filigree to the surface of vessels as was traditionally done, Seguso floated these delicate wisps of color inside the glass. Archimede Seguso was also a sculptor. His preference for solid glass and love of nature resulted in a glass menagerie of feathered, scaled, and furry creatures. In the late 1950s he debuted with an array of alabastro figurals mimicking natural white alabaster, as well as the stone in delicious colors. This book, the first on the subject written in English, shows the full array of his extraordinary work in almost 500 full color photos from collections around the world. With focus on the 1950s and the Venice Biennales, his designs for decanters, vases, bowls, and animal sculpture from the period are shown with detailed captions and a price guide. This book also includes a history, bibliography, index, and illustrated glossary of terms.