An elegant glass table lamp made in Italy around the middle of the 20th century. The small black stand supports a glass ball which has been entirely realised by hand by the expert glass makers located on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy. The beautiful tiger-like stripes show the intricacies and skill of the glass blower. He manages to execute to perfection a sphere which has intermittent opalescent and clear glass and, when placed on its chrome stand and turned on, gives a wonderful warm glow to any room. It fits so well with any interior whether modern, period, or mid century.

A brief history about Murano glassware. Murano became Europe's luxury glassmaking centre, peaking in popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. Venice's dominance in trade along the Mediterranean created a wealthy merchant class that was a strong connoisseur of the arts. This helped establish demand for art glass and more innovations. The spread of glassmaking talent in Europe eventually diminished the importance of Venice and its Murano glassmakers and the occupation and dissolution of the Venetian state by Napoleon Bonapartet in 1797 caused more hardship for Murano's glassmaking industry. Murano glassmaking began a revival in the 1920s. Today, Murano and Venice are tourist attractions, and Murano is home to numerous glass factories and a few individual artists' studios. Its Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) in the Palazzo Giustinian contains displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.

Condition: good vintage condition, some peeling of the black paintwork on the stand to the rear of the lamp near the cable. Please refer to photographs

Dimensions: 45cm high, 37cm diameter