43-year-old polo pony trainer Jessica Vincent was sorting through the trash at a Goodwill store in Hanover County, Virginia, USA, when a glass vase caught her eye. With its swirls of red and green, it stood out among the other items stacked on the shelf. Vincent was taken with the piece and decided to purchase it for their home. The price was only $3.99 and as she went to the checkout to pay, she noticed two details on the bottom of the vase: an “M” and the word “Italia.” From then on, the vase was no longer just another decorative object, but became the focus of an investigation. Vincent was about to prove that she had a good eye.
Vincent's research confirmed that the vase was a rare piece from Murano, the mythical Venetian island famous for centuries of handcrafted glassware. The vase just went under the hammer for $107,000 at Wright Auction House and was sold to a private European collector who prefers to remain anonymous. “I had a feeling it might be a $1,000 or $2,000 piece, but I had no idea how good it actually was until I did a little more research,” she told The New York Times.
The vase designed by the renowned architect Carlo Scarpa in the 1940s as part of the Pennellate series. Wright
The vase is one of two surviving pieces in good condition from the Pennellate series, designed by Carlo Scarpa, the great Italian architect of the mid-20th century who not only created iconic buildings and interiors, but also designed glass objects. His style, which focuses on bringing beautiful materials into simple yet sophisticated shapes, is perfectly captured in this series. The name of the series, Pennellate, means brushstroke and reveals a unique artisanal process. The goal of the artisans who worked with Scarpa in the 1940s was to simulate brush strokes through a complex technique that added opaque colored glass to the vase during the blowing process, rather than painting the finished surface. The challenges associated with this process meant that there were very few pieces in a collection that is now considered unique.
At the time of purchase, Vincent only suspected that she might be on the trail. She joined groups on Facebook that specialized in glassware, which put her in touch with Wright Auction House, a specialist in glass and crystal pieces. Richard Wright, president of the company, called Vincent after receiving the pictures she had sent him. “When I saw the photos I had a really good feeling,” he said. The auctioneer explained that it was rare to find a piece in such pristine condition: “If it had a chip – even a small one – it probably would have sold for less than $10,000,” he said. “It was like winning the lottery.”
Vincent says one of the highlights of the research was the evaluation of the vase by various experts. “The look on their faces was quite striking,” she says. “It was amazing that experts who work with very important pieces of glass were so enthusiastic about my little second-hand vase.” Their enthusiasm, which was also reflected in the final price, was justified. In fact, the cover of the digital auction catalog, generally dedicated to glass pieces of Italian origin, was a detail of Scarpa's brushstrokes that was unmistakable to any collector of this type of piece.
A detail of the vase highlighting the “brush strokes” created when the piece was blown with opaque glass.Wright
Vincent is very happy with his discovery. The horse trainer is a fan of television shows like Antiques Roadshow, in which professionals rummage through second-hand stores in search of hidden treasures. “I always felt like I had a good eye,” said Vincent, who often visits such stores with his partner. “But I'm really surprised that no one discovered it before me.” Although she has come across other valuables in the past, such as works of art worth several thousand dollars, she never imagined that they would be so lucky would. “You never know what you’re going to find,” she says. “It’s the thrill of the hunt.”
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