Ercole Barovier

Ercole Barovier (1889–1974) was one of the most important Venetian glassmakers of the twentieth century. The Barovier family had been active in the field since the fourteenth century, and Barovier & Toso is often considered one of the oldest Italian companies still in operation, even though it took on its current form only in 1942 under Ercole’s leadership. His father, Benvenuto Barovier, had founded the Fratelli Barovier glassworks in 1878 together with his brother Giuseppe—one of the earliest proponents of a more modern Murano production capable of moving away from the historical styles that dominated at the time. Ercole’s work followed in this direction, with particular attention to the treatment of glass and to tessuti vitrei (glass “fabrics”), while the shapes of his pieces tended to remain fairly simple and conventional so as to emphasize the material effect without distraction. He stood apart both from the traditional master glassmaker—Ercole never worked directly at the furnace, despite knowing production processes perfectly—and from the modern notion of a designer. He was extraordinarily prolific, producing more than 25,000 creations of different kinds that helped shape the aesthetic of Murano glass in the twentieth century. Among the most important honors he received were two Gold Medals at the Milan Triennale (1933 and 1954).