Vaso di bambù

Laura De Santillana is a Venetian glass artist and granddaughter of Paolo Venini, founder of the legendary Venini glassworks on Murano. Her practice bridges the island's deep craft heritage and the language of contemporary sculpture, and her work is held in major museum collections across Europe and North America.

Bambu occupies both categories. Its elongated hand-blown form can hold a single stem, but the piece is conceived as studio glass, an autonomous object with artistic standing independent of use.

Bambu is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts at the Louvre in Paris, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.

Made-to-order Murano glass is produced by a master glassblower upon purchase rather than held in warehouse stock. Lead times vary, and each piece is an individual result of the hand-blowing process, meaning minor variations in form and color saturation are inherent to the work.

Hand-blown Murano glass benefits from placement away from direct sunlight over prolonged periods, which can affect certain colorants. Cleaning with a soft, dry cloth preserves the surface. The Bambu form, given its vertical proportions, is most stable on a level surface with adequate clearance above.