Location: Apartments of the Duke of Aosta – Sitting room of the Duchess
The three elegant Cacti, 1932-1935, are part of a series of small ornamental objects, belonging to the late production of the Murano sculptor and master glassmaker Napoleone Martinuzzi (1892 – 1977), and faithfully bear witness to the transition ‘in taste’ from Art Nouveau to the Art Deco.
A highly esteemed artist of the time, artistic director of “Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Venini & Co” and founder together with his partner of his own workshop, “Zecchin-Martinuzzi Vetri artistici e mosaici,” he could boast among his most famous admirers and regular patrons Gabriele D’Annunzio, who embellished the garden and rooms of the Vittoriale degli Italiani with his works.
The series of succulents, also executed in large sizes, is characterised by the unique experimental technique of pulegoso glass, devised by Martinuzzi himself and consisting of irregular air bubbles(puleghe) thickened by the addition of petroleum and chemical agents during fusion. The process is such that the vitreous material is unusually opaque and given bold, turgid shades of colour with a frothy, in-body effect suitable for realistic rendering of cacti and exotic plants.
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