Incollect Magazine - Issue 15

76 www.incollect.com glow that seems to shift almost imperceptibly as one moves around it. “This model is his absolute masterpiece,” Reboul says. Incollect dealer Paolo Tozzi, owner of Domus Aurea gallery in Florence, Italy, encountered Nason’s work some fifteen years ago and was immediately taken by its originality. “His designs were radically innovative,” Tozzi says. “They combined traditional Murano glassmaking with an abstract visual language that felt entirely modern.” Today Tozzi owns numerous examples, both for sale and in his personal collection. A pair of Osso table lamps occupies his bedside tables, while several pulegoso lamps illuminate his living room. “I am fascinated by his work,” he says. “I continue to acquire pieces because they represent an essential chapter in the history of Murano glass and modern Italian design.” That reassessment has gathered momentum among specialist dealers and collectors over the past decade. Dutch dealer Krista van Oudheusden, founder of AtKris Studio, has built one of Europe’s most significant inventories of Nason lighting, sourcing examples across the continent for her gallery in Haaften. “They are exceptionally well designed,” she says. “They have a strong identity without unnecessary visual noise, which makes them remarkably easy to place in contemporary interiors.” Van Oudheusden estimates she has handled scores of Nason works over the years. “If we hadn’t sold so many already,” she says with a laugh, “I could have opened a museum dedicated entirely to Carlo Nason.” For Van Oudheusden, Nason’s genius lay in understanding that light was not simply something emitted by an object but a material to be shaped as carefully as glass itself. She points to the Minosse table lamp, designed for Linea GB Milano, as a quintessential example of this philosophy. At first glance, the lamp appears disarmingly simple — a satin-white cylinder of Murano glass resting on an understated base. Closer inspection reveals a subtle concave recess that draws the eye toward a polished chrome sphere embedded within its centre, transforming an apparently austere object into a sophisticated study of reflection, depth, and illumination. “The satin-white Murano glass diffuses a warm, even glow, while the sculpted indentation creates movement and visual depth,” Van Oudheusden observes. “It is functional, yet entirely sculptural.” By the 1970s, Nason had begun to move beyond the layered compositions that first established his reputation, embracing increasingly experimental forms that reflected the technological optimism of the decade. Barbell-shaped floor lamps, spherical table lights, torpedo-like sconces, and boldly architectural chandeliers captured the spirit of an era fascinated by space travel, new materials, and visions of the future. Yet unlike much futuristic design of the period, Nason’s work has aged remarkably well. Its restrained palette, formal clarity, and sculptural confidence have allowed it to transcend the stylistic clichés of the Space Age, lending many of his designs an unexpected contemporary relevance. Known as the Lotus table lamp, Model LT 305 is one of Nason’s most poetic and beautiful designs. Four concentric forms of handblown pulegoso glass are layered into the base, elegantly depicting a blooming lotus flower. The pulegoso effect is created by mixing sodium carbonate into molten glass to produce millions of tiny bubbles, making the glass semi-opaque for a gentle, diffused light. Designed for Mazzega in 1969. Available from Domus Aurea on Incollect.com. Photo: Courtesy of Domus Aurea.