Pair Murano Battuto Glass Vases in Black & Vermillion. Italy, Late 20th Century.

A striking pair of late 20th-century Italian Modernist hand-blown Murano glass vases , distinguished by its sculptural tapered form, deeply worked battuto surface , and dramatic contrast of smoky black glass with vivid vermillion-red detailing. The substantial hand-blown body rises from a softly rounded base to a narrower upper opening, creating an elegant, elongated silhouette. Its exterior has been extensively cold-worked in the traditional battuto technique , producing hundreds of irregular hand-cut facets across the surface. The resulting texture gives the dark glass an almost hammered or stone-like character, with subtle shifts between black, charcoal, smoky brown, and gray as the vase catches the light. Regularly spaced throughout the body are concave circular recesses revealing brilliant vermillion-red glass beneath the dark exterior . These glowing red inclusions create a particularly effective visual contrast against the heavily textured black surface and introduce depth and movement as the vase is viewed from different angles. Dimensions: 11.5 in. Height × 5 in. Diameter