Fazzoletto vase by Fulvio Bianconi

“Fazzoletto” Vase by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini, Murano, Italy, circa 1950.

Blown glass with pink and white zanfirico decoration.

This “Fazzoletto” (handkerchief) vase by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini is executed in transparent blown glass with a delicate pink and white zanfirico decoration.

Shaped entirely by hand, the vase displays the free and spontaneous silhouette characteristic of the early Fazzoletto production. Its irregular rim rises into a succession of folds and pronounced peaks, while the pink and white zanfirico canes follow the movement of the glass, creating a refined graphic pattern throughout the transparent body.

The “Fazzoletto” series is one of the most emblematic creations of post-war Murano glass. Developed by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini at the end of the 1940s, its distinctive form soon became closely associated with the historic Murano glassworks and has remained in production in numerous variations ever since.

Its name, meaning “handkerchief” in Italian, refers to the impression of a piece of fabric suspended in movement. Each vase was shaped by hand while the glass was still hot, giving every example an individual and sculptural character.

Bianconi conceived the Fazzoletto as a reinterpretation of the celebrated “Cartoccio” vase designed by Pietro Chiesa for FontanaArte in the 1930s. He transformed the folded form into a distinctly Venetian expression, combining the fluidity of blown glass with the virtuosity of Murano glassmaking.

Over the years, Fazzoletto vases were produced in a wide variety of sizes, colours and techniques, including transparent glass, lattimo, incamiciato glass, polychrome canes and zanfirico. In this example, the pink and white zanfirico canes lend the vase an especially delicate appearance, recalling the intricate lacework traditionally associated with Venice.