9 Works by Venetian Maestro Lino Tagliapietra to Sell at Rago Auctions on May 19, 2019

Lambertville, NJ -  On May 19, Rago Auctions will offer for sale a grouping of works by Venetian master glassblower, Lino Tagliapietra, including several substantial examples from a single-owner collection. These lots will be offered in Rago’s Modern Ceramics + Glass Auction, which caps off Rago’s Early 20th C. and Modern Design Auctions on May 18-19.

Lot 1898, Lino Tagliapietra, Exceptional Mandara Vessel, Italy, 2006; Estimate $20,000-$30,000

Lino Tagliapietra was born in Murano, Italy, a series of islands widely considered the epicenter of Italian glassmaking. Tagliapietra became a glassmaker’s apprentice at the age of 12 and spent the following decades developing his craft and creating a design aesthetic that balances an adherence to traditional methods with the creation of exaggerated and kinetic forms of a distinctly modern flavor. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with such notable fellow glassmakers as Dan Dailey and Dale Chihuly and was responsible for teaching glass blowing and cold carving methods to several generations of American artists and students. His work can be found in the collections of the De Young Museum in San Francisco; The Victoria and Albert Museum in London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; and many other institutions in the U.S. and around the world.

Lot 1899, Lino Tagliapietra, Fuji vessel, Murano, Italy, 2012; Estimate $15,000-$20,000

Rago has been privileged to bring over 100 works by Tagliapietra to auction since 2006, with prices realized ranging from several hundred dollars to over a hundred thousand dollars for a single lot. Rago Auctions holds the current auction record for a work by Lino Tagliapietra, having sold a twelve-piece work titled Masai for $118,750 in May of 2018.

Highlights from the Lino Tagliapietra grouping on offer in Rago’s May 19, 2019 Modern Ceramics + Glass Auction include: lot 1898, a large, complicated and well-designed Mandara vessel, expertly executed in incalmo technique and finished with an intricate patterns of cold work; lot 1899, a large Fuji vessel that employs a complex pattern of murrine in a basket weave to create an impression of bubbles floating up to the surface; and lot 1904, an exceptionally rare, tall, and brightly colored Angel Tear vessel with a gorgeous color swirl.

Lot 1908, Lino Tagliapietra, Fine large flaring Sunda vase, Murano, Italy, 1998; Estimate $8,000-$12,000

Suzanne Perrault, Partner + Co-Director 20th-21st C. Design Dept: “We've been favored with a superior selection of unique works by maestro Lino Tagliapietra in this auction – nine in all! Most combine his mastery of incalmo, murrine and cold work carving in a single creation. Seeing so many fine examples together, from an Angel Tear to a Mandara to a plaque (which are most rare on the secondary market), provides a rare didactic experience for glass enthusiasts and a rare buying opportunity for glass collectors.”