This exceptional Formia Di Vetri glass bird, done in twisted black rods encased in clear sommerso, isn't often seen. And when it is--it's usually being WRONGLY attributed to Alfredo Barbini. (There's a red pair on 1stDibs, with one of Formia's typical labels, right now.) The complex twisted rod/cane construction of the bird is indeed remniscent of Barbini's VAMSA pieces, but this beauty is all Formia and probably from the latter part of the 20th century or even the early 2000s. Formia, formed in 1962 (and bankrupted in 2016 but reorganized under a new name), has produced amongst the most extensive variety of Murano glass birds | water fowl of any Murano furnace, past and present. It's 1984 HAMILTON COLLECTION EXOTIC BIRDS OF THE WORLD series by Maestro Francesco is perhaps its most famous and highly coveted body of work.
This dramatic and uncommon piece stands about 12" tall and 5" in its widest diameter. It is unmarked and in perfect condition, although I did notice a highly unusual manufacturing issue--the three points off the base on which the bird is perched have not been fired/polished. Instead, the edges are just as the shears left them, ending in a pinch rather than a rounded point. This is not the type of thing most would notice--it's just my habit to run my fingers all over a piece of glass to insure I haven't missed anything.
DIMENSIONS: 12" tall * 5"
CONDITION: Excellent
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