Description
A splendid vintage Baroque-style “Ca’ Rezzonico” Murano chandelier in dramatic black and clear cristallo glass, in the manner of Giuseppe Briati, the celebrated 18th‑century Venetian master who transformed Murano chandelier design. Named for the great palazzo on the Grand Canal, the Ca’ Rezzonico type is synonymous with Venetian opulence, and this example follows that tradition with tiered curving arms, an articulated stem, rich foliage and flowers, and a powerfully theatrical presence.
The striking black-and-clear contrast is created in the glass itself, not with paint. Murano glassmakers melt metal oxides—high concentrations of iron, manganese, and other compounds, sometimes with copper, cobalt, nickel, or chromium—into the raw batch so the glass is born an intense, opaque nero throughout. This coloured glass is worked like clear cristallo, then overlaid and fused hot with separate gathers of colourless cristallo, producing seamless layers of black and clear that give the chandelier its jewel-like depth and luminosity.
Five scrolling arms in dense black glass spring from a boldly contoured baluster stem adorned with clear rigadin and finely worked cristallo trims. Each arm supports a cup with scalloped bobeches and petal-like collars in clear glass, while hand-formed flowers and stylized leaves create a sculptural bouquet at the center. The cristallo elements, Murano’s exceptionally pure colourless glass, are shaped with traditional rigadin and “rigar” techniques, blowing molten glass into ribbed molds and tooling it by hand while still hot. The result is a statement piece of true Venetian craftsmanship, ready to anchor a grand entry, salon, or dining room with authentic Murano glamour.
Dimensions without ceiling cover and chain: H=19 in. W=19 in. D=19 in. 15 lbs. Requires a canopy and chain, which is not included.
