Set of Six Hand-Blown Glass Fruit, Archimede Seguso, Murano
Six hand-blown Murano glass fruits by Archimede Seguso — a still life in glass that earns its place on any surface.
ARTIST: Archimede Seguso (Italian, 1909–1999)
PERIOD: Late 20th Century
CATEGORY: Decorative Object / Glass
MATERIALS: Hand-blown opaline glass with gold aventurine stems and leaves
DIMENSIONS: Various; largest approximately 7½ in.
PROVENANCE: Property from the Estate of John 'Parker' Prindle, Jr., Beacon Hill, Boston
CONTEXT: Archimede Seguso redefined a 650-year family history of Murano glass-making with brilliance and novel techniques, elevating him to an exemplar for the maestros of his time as well as for future generations of glassmakers. This set of six fruit and vegetable forms — two pears, one apple, one lemon, one pepper, and one eggplant — rendered in richly banded opaline glass with gold aventurine at the stems, demonstrates the playful, domestic side of his output, where technical mastery is worn lightly. They came from the collection of John 'Parker' Prindle, Jr., a Beacon Hill collector whose eye for Italian art glass was the foundation of a lifetime of distinguished collecting — with donations now held in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Harvard Art Museums.
These pieces are offered in vintage condition commensurate with age and use. Several show minor chips to stems and leaves — details that speak to a life well-lived rather than a shelf never touched. All damage is to extremities only; the blown glass bodies are intact and the color and striping remain vivid throughout. Condition details available upon request.