c. 1930

Figure of a Musician

Around 1930, glassmakers in Murano—Italy’s center for glass production since the 1200s—began to create whimsical works inspired by the caricatured figurines of the 1700s. Popular groupings included dancers and musicians, like this fanciful musician, part of a sextet of bass, clarinet, trombone, cello, accordion, and drum players. Although based on historical models, the figures wear contemporary fashions, such as bowler hats, and are rendered from an iridescent yet transparent glass, which was achieved through a new processing technique developed by the maker, M.V.M. Cappellin & C.