90s ‘tolboi’ floorlamp for Venini set/2

Paolo Venini (12 January 1895– 22 July 1959) emerged as one of the leading figures in the production of Murano glass and an important contributor to twentieth century Italian design. He is known for having founded the eponymous Venini & C. glassworks. Venini was born in the town of Cusano near Milan, Italy. After serving in the Royal Italian Army in World War I, he trained as a lawyer and began his practice in Milan. He soon developed an acquaintance with Giacomo Cappellin, a native of Venice who owned a Milan antiques shop. In 1921 Venini and Cappellin opened a glass factory called Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Cappellin Venini & C. on the islands of Murano, the historic glass production centre in the lagoon of Venice, Italy. Cappellin withdrew from the firm in 1925, taking most of the firm’s master glassblowers and launching a competitor. Venini reorganized with new glassblowers and, first as Vetro Soffiati Muranesi Venini & C. (V.S.M. Venini & C.), and later simply Venini & C., achieving a position as a design leader among Murano firms. The company entrusted the creative direction to Murano sculptor Napoleone Martinuzzi, although Paolo Venini himself played a role in designing several of the company’s best-known products, including the “Fazzoletto” (handkerchief) series, which he created with designer Fulvio Bianconi. Venini embarked on collaborations with architects and designers such as Cini Boeri, Tomaso Buzzi, Gio Ponti, Carlo Scarpa, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, Tapio Wirkkala, Gae Aulenti, Tyra Lundgren, Mona Morales-Schildt, and Massimo Vignelli (who would also go on to design the company’s new graphic identity and logo in 1982). The ethos was to “take the Murano tradition of glass blowing and combine it with the French fashion industry’s tradition of using designers. The practice of working with notable designers has continued unto the current days.

Tolboi is a VENINI design and brandmarked. The lamp is in Murano glass and beautiful design of the 1990s. Lamp is in good condition consistent with age and use.