design and arts

Salviati & C.


In 1866, the lawyer Antonio Salviati founded the factory Vetreria Salviati & C in cooperation with British financiers. The factory had initially the English name Venice and Murano Glass and Mosaic Company. They made hand-blown glassware and mosaics. In both sectors, the company had very large success. In 1889, the Camerino family bought the company, who led it until the late 1980s

In the time of World War I, the first production was ceased but continued in the early 20s. The magazine Domus printed the modern products several times in 1930. Two years later the factory worked together with the artist Dino Martens, who designed the most interesting objects of the company, which are in total contrast to his works in the 50s.

The painter Mario Deluigi collaborated also with the factory under the pseudonym Guido Bin. He presented a series of yellow vases with fused mosaics and figurative decorations at the Biennial of 1932. The production was limited to a few objects, because the production was very expensive.

After the Second World War, the manufacture showed the mosaics at the Biennale every year. In 1958, collaboration occurred with Luciano Gaspari and Romano Chirivi. The factory won a price with these objects at the International Universal Exhibition in Brussels and another one called Compasso dOro for industrial design in 1962 with a series of monochrome works, which Sergio Asti had designed.

In the 70s, the factory worked with outside artists, e.g. Claire Falkenstein, Ward Bennet and Teff Sarzin. Objects of Salviati & C. can be seen in the MuseeŽ du Verre in Liege, France, in the Kestner Museum in Hannover, Germany, in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in the Corning Museum of Art, New York, America and the Museum Harretz in Tel Aviv, Israel. In the 80s, the Camerino family sold the factory to an Italian financial group.