V. Nason & Co Murano Fumato Glass Elephant - Signed

Description

This is a magnificent Venetian sculptural black + grey glass baby elephant, made on the island of Murano, near Venice, Italy. Made by V. Nason & C., signed to base. The feathered bubble effect is usually referred to as "sfumato", which in glass terms means a gradual change of shade, however it has recently been discovered that the correct term would be "fumato", which means "smoked", a technique which involves exposing the glass to smoke from a fire, to give the glass a smoky colour by picking up particles of unburnt ember and ash from the smoke. This has been confirmed on a Swedish glass forum [here], where a glassblower who worked for FM Konstglas/Marcolin, described the technique they used, involving smoke, to create this effect.

Size

Measures approx 5.5 inches tall by 35 inches in diameter at widest point.

Condition

Excellent condition, no chips or cracks, just a couple of white bubbles near the base which should be grey (manufacturing flaw) shown in final pic.