A very rare Space Age table lamp realised almost entirely out of hand blown glass, made on the famous island Murano in Venice, Italy around 1970. An opalescent glass dome is supported by a chrome frame and two opalescent glass discs, also realised entirely by hand. It lights up both at the top and bottom. Standing proud at 55cm in height it is a wonderful way of adding some ambient lighting to any interior, bringing a sculptural piece of mid century retro chic.

The lamp is not signed by any particular maker however it most likely came out of the Carlo Nason workshops in Venice. It is undoubtedly of excellent quality and design.

Carlo Nason influenced the current tradition of glassmaking on an island renowned for it for hundreds of years. Celebrated for their exceptional designs, Nason’s lighting fixtures are sought after by collectors worldwide.Learning to design and craft pieces from the family ‘vetreria’, rather than partaking in any formal training Nason was working with the maestros at his family’s company furnace, V.Nason & C., attached to their family home when he was just 11 years old. Although his roots are in Murano glassmaking, he took inspiration from the clean lines and natural colours of the Japanese metal vases he had seen in his youth at Milanese fairs.Wanting to produce modern glass lamps, Nason worked with his family friend Gianni Mazzega of Mazzega, Murano. The 1970s and 1980s were productive and creative years for Nason as the sole and independent designer at Mazzega Murano. After a mere four years as a glassmaker, Carlo Nason had his creations displayed at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. The credit for the artisan’s pieces that were included in “Glass 1959“ went to his family’s company, but the designs were all authored by Carlo.Stepping away from the traditional, vibrant Murano stylings, Nason kept true to his inspiration, working with modern and simple forms that are relatively free of colour. In a rare 2019 interview, Nason explained how his emotions inspired the shapes and that his legacy includes fixtures that cannot be replicable or reproduced as Nason made lighting pieces with multiple layers of glass that would be too costly or difficult to recreate today. Some designs were made with processes and materials that are now unavailable or banned in the glassmaking world.

Space Age design emerged in the early 1950s amidst immense upheaval of the status quo, and sought to illustrate a utopian future in the wake of the second World War. Given that the period was full of exploration in engineering and science, Space Age designers also sought to evolve their given fields and push boundaries farther than ever before.

The Space Age was a universal concept in design, spanning from fashion to architecture and beyond. The term was first formally coined in 1964, when Pierre Cardin launched his "Space Age" line. Other prominent fashion designers from this era included André Courrèges and Paco Rabanne, with iconic designs like the gogo boots being released in the 60s.

Condition: excellent vintage condition, please refer to photographs

Dimensions: 55cm high, 44cm diameter