Lamp Mobile Sommerso, Murano

• Mobile lamp in chrome-plated tubular steel, topped with a translucent emerald sommerso murrine, evoking the “snake lamps” emblematic of 1970s Italian design.
• The lamp bend can be tilted and rotated forwards or backwards (up/down) using a screw.
• Electrification replaced, 5W LED spotlight.
• The chrome is very well preserved, the glassware shows minor chips. (see pictures).
• H 30 to 44 CM (max, depending on inclination) X D 51 CM X W 51 CM.
• Diameter of Murano diffuser: 20 CM.
• Weight 15 KG.

The Sommerso technique

The Sommerso technique is part of the glassmaking research carried out in Murano in the mid-20th century, led by many glassmakers and designers, including Flavio Poli, Alfredo Barbini, and creators associated with the Venini house, who helped establish its technical and aesthetic standards.

During the 1950s, Flavio Poli (1900–1984) developed a major body of glasswork based on exploring this technique. Sommerso relies on the successive layering of glass, achieved by dipping the object into different crucibles of molten glass. This process creates depth effects and subtle color combinations that are difficult to achieve with more traditional methods.

Between 1951 and 1954, he designed several iconic models grouped under the Valve series, whose forms are loosely inspired by mollusk shells. In parallel, he produced vases and bowls with clean lines, combining a layer of colorless glass with one or two layers of colored glass. This body of work is now referred to as “Sommerso”, in direct reference to the technique used.

Vase from the Siderali series, blown crystal adorned with a central murrine, Seguso Vetri d’Arte, 1952.

This production quickly met with wide critical acclaim. The innovative nature of these pieces, both in their treatment of the material and in their formal language, earned him several awards, including the Compasso d’Oro in 1954. At the time, these objects surprised with an aesthetic sometimes likened to Scandinavian design. During the same period, Swedish manufacturers such as Kosta Boda or Orrefors developed comparable formal research.

It is also important to highlight the decisive role of master glassmaker Angelo Seguso, younger brother and successor of Archimede Seguso, who executed the majority of these pieces. His technical expertise was essential to mastering the particularly demanding Sommerso process.

Flavio Poli continued his research into Sommerso until he left Seguso Vetri d’Arte in 1963. While other Murano glassmakers later produced similar models, specialists consider that Flavio Poli, together with Angelo Seguso’s craftsmanship, remains one of the most accomplished interpreters of this technique.