Giuseppe Barovier 1853–1942

Giuseppe Barovier went to work at the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano at a very young age and soon, due to his exceptional skills, became a maestro. He distinguished himself in various fields, from the decoration of blown pieces to the execution of murrine glass to chandeliers. In 1877, he left the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano to follow Antonio Salviati to his new glass workshop called Salviati dott. Antonio, where he worked with his brother, Benvenuto. After the Baroviers took over the ownership of the furnace in 1883, renaming it Artisti Barovier in 1890, Giuseppe became maestro and designer with his brother. Among his many creations that deserve mention are his refined murrine, which the Artisti Barovier presented at the Cà Pesaro exhibitions. When Artisti Barovier was liquidated in 1919, he, his brother Benvenuto, and their sons founded the Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C., where he worked until the end of the ‘20s.

A murrine

Artisti Barovier, ca. 1919

Information

Giuseppe Barovier A murrineArtisti Barovier, ca. 1919

A vetro mosaico vase crafted with spiraling white and yellow, and white and red murrine. The central part is decorated with a stripe ofavventurina glass, creating a greca pattern with the use of white and blue murrine.
Signed with a glass murrina bearing the initials AB, above which rises a crown.
11 7/16 in. high (29 cm)

Exhibitions:
2000, New York, Venetian Glass, Museum of Arts & Design;
2001, Milan, Murano: Vetri dalla Collezione Olnick Spanu, Spazio Oberdan.

Bibliography and comparative texts:
R. Barovier Mentasti, 1992, n. 38;
M. Barovier, 1993, n. 50;
M. Barovier, 1994, n. 1;
M. Barovier, 1999, p. 93;
Olnick Spanu, 2000, n. 3;
Olnick Spanu, 2001, n. 5.

Workshop

Artisti Barovier 1890–1919

Giovanni Barovier and his nephews Giuseppe, Benvenuto, and Benedetto worked as glassblowers at the Salviati dott. Antonio furnace, founded in 1877. In 1884, after Salviati's departure, they acquired ownership of the company. On the basis of an agreement signed with Salviati, the company maintained its original name until Salviati's death in 1890. It then changed its name to Artisti Barovier.

Under the guidance of Benvenuto and Giuseppe, the company reproduced the classical themes of nineteenth-century glass and soon achieved fame for the refinement of its production. Works executed later, particularly a murrine, were inspired by floral themes. The Artisti Barovier took several of these pieces to different exhibitions, including the Cà Pesaro (1908, 1909, 1913), where pieces designed by Zecchin and Wolf-Ferrari were also shown. During World War I, the furnace was temporarily moved to Livorno in Tuscany.

In 1919, the company name was changed to Vetreria Artistica Barovier and several new partners were added. Among them were Ercole Barovier and Nicolò Barovier, Benvenuto Barovier's sons, and Giuseppe Barovier's son Napoleone.

A murrine

Artisti Barovier, ca. 1919