The collection on this website is extensive today, but it had a small, simple beginning. Many years ago, my friend and antique collector William Arbeiter introduced me to Murano glass while browsing an antique shop on Queen St in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra. He drew my attention to a beautiful conch shell by Archimede Seguso. ​"You can look through antique shops for the rest of your life," he told me. "But you'll never see another one like it again. "​From this single Seguso piece, I was immediately entranced by the beauty and craftsmanship of the fine Italian art glass. As a novice in the late 1980s, there were very few resources to research. There were definitely no online catalogues back then! In my effort to expand my collection and my knowledge, I began going to every auction, house clearance sale, and antique fair. I scoured all the antique stores I could find, acquiring an increasing number of fine specimens of Murano glass. I eventually befriended an antique dealer who assisted me in sourcing Murano glass from auction houses around Australia.

 

This further developed my collection, a process which has continued to the present day.​ Now my gallery consists of over 300 pieces covering a wide oeuvre of rare Italian glass. The individual items range from whimsical novelties, to timeless masterpieces of the Venetian golden age.​ I have been fortunate to acquire pieces created by many renowned designers, workshops, and artisans too numerous to name here. Some of the notable ones include:​

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• Seguso Vetri d'Arte

• Ercole Barovier

• Paolo Venini

• Napoleone Martinuzzi

• Vittorio Zecchin

• Carlo Scarpa

• Alfredo Barbini 

• Archimede Seguso

• Aldo Nason 

• Flavio Poli

• Aureliano & Fratelli Toso

• Cenedese

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Some of the glass in the collection is of particular historical interest, such as an "Ochre" square vase made by Archimede Seguso for the 1951 Milan Triennale. Another example from Seguso is the "Festoni" vase exhibited at the Corning Museum of Glass in 1959. A "Gatto" vase by Venini or the Mosaic vase by Barovier.​ The collection also features the vase with feathers that  Archimede Seguso himself offered to buy back from my collection.

Archimede explained to me that he knew of only five left in the world.  Three of those five are in the Seguso private museum.

 

​One of the pieces I find most personally captivating is yet another project from Archimede Seguso. In 1996 he witnessed the fiery destruction of the historic La Fenice opera house. Following the fire he embarked on a project to make one hundred unique pieces of glass that would serve as a tribute to the glory of La Fenice and the tragic disaster. A significant departure from his previous style, the pieces resemble the glow of flames and embers leaping and dancing into the Venetian night sky. Such rare artefacts, signed by Seguso himself, rarely change hands today.​

 

Archimede Seguso was one of the truly great masters of 20th century Venetian glass. I was privileged to visit and sit with him at his furnace before his death in 1999.​ The history and provenance of these beautiful artworks, as well as the breathtaking craftsmanship they represent, contribute to the enduring appeal of Murano glass. I hope you enjoy browsing the collection. Some Pieces are only available on request. ​ 

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