Red Murano Glass Bottle Att. Flavio Poli
These Midcentury Murano glass bottles exemplify the Sommerso “submerged” technique, in which layers of coloured glass are carefully encased in clear glass to produce depth, luminosity and vibrant chromatic contrasts.
This taller bottle features a deep red core, a yellow intermediate layer and clear outer casing, finished with an elongated flame style stopper that mirrors the red and yellow interior colours, enhancing the sculptural elegance of the form. These subtle variations in colour and stopper design illustrate Poli’s nuanced approach to chromatic layering and optical effect.
Based on formal qualities colour palette, yellow layering, elongated stoppers and overall design the bottle is attributed to Flavio Poli (1900–1984) during his tenure as Artistic Director at Seguso Vetri d’Arte. While no signature or catalogue reference is present, the combination of technique, shape and execution quality aligns closely with Poli’s documented Sommerso work from the 1950s.
The Sommerso technique, pioneered in the 1930s and brought to international prominence by Poli after WWII, requires mastery of glass layering without colour mixing. The outer clear layer magnifies the internal hues, while the flame style stoppers are executed with precise control, reflecting Poli’s modernist sensibility and technical innovation. The yellow layer between the red core and clear casing exemplifies Poli’s experimentation with multi layer colour effects to enhance depth and optical complexity.
Flavio Poli trained at the Istituto d’Arte di Venezia and began his career at IVAM (1929–1934) before joining Seguso Vetri d’Arte in 1934. As Artistic Director, he developed a distinctive Sommerso technique, characterized by clean modernist forms and layered color transitions, which secured Seguso’s international reputation. His work received numerous accolades, including the Compasso d’Oro (1954) and is represented in major museum collections worldwide.
The bottle has no original label, its attribution is based on stylistic and technical analysis, demonstrating artistic innovation, technical mastery and the sophisticated use of color characteristic of Poli’s Sommerso oeuvre.
Murano, Italy 1950s
Attributed to Flavio Poli for Seguso
Dimension H cm W cm
Ref T1301