Set of Six Murano Glass Liqueur Glasses with Hand-Painted Enamel Floral Décor in Blue-Grey — Murano, Italy, circa 1920–1960, 6pcs (5583)

📐 DIMENSIONS — Height approximately 9–10 cm. Diameter approximately 5 cm. Lightweight. Set of 6 pieces.

Set of Six Murano Glass Liqueur Glasses with Hand-Painted Enamel Floral Décor in Blue-Grey — Murano, Italy, circa 1920–1960

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🏛️ PERIOD, ART STYLE, HISTORICAL CONTEXT

There are moments that exist outside of time. One of them — in evening candlelight, when the flames dance across gilded glass rims and the last drop of liqueur runs down the petal of a hand-painted flower, pausing where the gilded cartouche ornament meets the blue-grey frosted glass. These glasses were not made for the everyday — they were made for that singular moment when time slows and colour, light and fragrance merge into a single sensation.

The set dates to approximately 1920–1960 — a period in which the Murano glassmaking tradition experienced its second golden age, combining the 18th-century mastery of smalto enamelling with the decorative language of Art Deco and later neo-Baroque. Each glass is formed from a blue-grey (grigio-azzurro) frosted glass body on a transparent, multi-faceted cut stem — the contrast between the frosted and the brilliant glass is a deliberate artistic choice, giving the stem a crystalline sparkle against the misty stillness of the cup. The decoration — three-dimensional enamel flower rosettes (rosette a smalto a rilievo) within a gilded Baroque cartouche, with additional scattered flowers on the frosted body — is executed with a delicate brush and a precision reminiscent of miniature painting on glass.

This is that fertile transitional moment when the organic floral motif of Art Nouveau still lives in the decoration, while the geometric cartouche form of Art Deco and neo-Baroque already determines the compositional structure — both aesthetics coexist in each glass with complete harmony.

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⚜️ MAKER AND TRADITION

Murano — the island in the Venetian lagoon whose glassblowing tradition began in 1291, when the Venetian Republic relocated all its glassworks to this single island to protect the city from fire and guard the secrets of glassmaking as a matter of state. For centuries, Murano glass was the symbol of European exclusivity — the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles was supplied by Murano glassmakers, the Habsburg court commissioned Murano chandeliers, and the Venetian aristocracy drank from Murano glasses as a mark of rank. The enamel decoration technique — smalto a rilievo, or raised enamel applied layer by layer to create a three-dimensional effect — is one of the defining marks of high-quality Murano work, requiring multiple firing stages and exceptional craftsmanship. Liqueur glasses of this type were exported in the first half of the 20th century to the finest Parisian department stores and private home goods houses, supplying the table settings of Europe’s haute bourgeoisie.

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💎 RARITY AND SIGNIFICANCE

A complete set of six glasses with a unified decoration, intact three-dimensional enamels, and no chips or losses is a considerably rarer find than individual pieces — for Murano glass, for all its beauty, is fragile, and sets are typically separated over time. The blue-grey (grigio-azzurro) ground tone combined with the gilded Baroque cartouche and hand-formed enamel flowers is one of the most visually compelling variants of Murano decorative glass, prized by collectors in Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States both as objects of use and as works of art.

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🕯️ APPLICATION AND INTERIOR USE

These glasses were made for candlelight — and it is there that they reveal their full beauty. On the evening table with liqueur or grappa, where the golden liquid takes on a magical depth through the blue-grey glass. In a glass cabinet as the centrepiece of a collector’s display, where the enamel flowers can be enjoyed in the play of light each day. In Venetian, Baroque, eclectic, and romantic style interiors — as table accessories that tell of centuries of Murano mastery. In photography — ideal subjects for still-life and lifestyle shoots, where the frosted glass colour, golden lustre, and textured enamel flowers create an incomparable sensory depth.

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🔍 CONDITION

Overall condition — good, consistent with age. All 6 pieces are intact, with no cracks or chips. The blue-grey frosted glass has retained its colour and depth. The three-dimensional enamel flowers are well preserved, with characteristic minimal wear to certain petal tips. The gold border at the rim and base is well retained. The cut transparent stems show no scratches or damage. The condition of the item is fully reflected in the photographs.