Gio Ponti for Venini, 1948–1952 Murano glass vase, model “A Canne Multicolore”

A rare and spectacular Murano glass vase designed by Gio Ponti for Venini, executed between 1948 and 1952. The piece is masterfully hand-blown in the traditional a canne technique, where slender rods of colored glass are fused and stretched to create a vertical rhythm of luminous stripes.

Ponti’s design reveals an exquisite balance between geometry and spontaneity: the cylindrical form gently undulates toward the rim, where the glass softens and folds with organic precision. The chromatic palette — a vivid symphony of pink, cobalt blue, emerald green, lemon yellow, and amethyst — seems to vibrate under natural light.

When illuminated, the vase projects a kaleidoscopic play of reflections and transparencies, casting iridescent bands of color that shift with every angle. This extraordinary interaction with light encapsulates Ponti’s poetic vision of design as “an architecture of brightness,” where form and hue become pure movement.

Period: 1948–1952 — a phase during which Venini pieces were not yet systematically signed, making the absence of signature historically consistent.

A masterpiece of post-war Italian glassmaking — vibrant, architectural, and alive with light.