Champagne Flutes by Cenedese, Set of 6

from Cenedese’s personal collection. Here is a set of 6 stemmed glasses in 3 different designs. All in light smoke. This group is absolutely unique and could become the centerpiece of a dinner table or create three pairs of flutes. There is a special technique, half ribbing, in which only the lower part of the blown glass is ribbed, creating the typical effect of Cenedese and Seguso glasses. You can’t play it nowadays. When not in use, they are beautiful to admire as a collector’s set. There is nothing similar on the market. The measurement indicated is that of the article on the left, as a reference also for the others. A note on the color of the smoke. A very ancient technique, it began as a color that would have been difficult to avoid. When the furnaces worked with wood, the partial combustion of the wood created smoke inside the crucible; the residual carbon in the molten glass gave a light amber color that you can see in 17th century chandeliers. with the Barovier “crystal” formula this coloration was resolved and the smoke became a finish. The way to obtain this color is similar to that of Japanese Raku: by reducing the oxygen supply, the fire begins to create reduced smoke. The technique was then perfected by working on other colors. Metal oxides also change color in a reducing atmosphere. Today this technique is difficult to achieve with pure combustion of natural gas, so it has become a way to recognize ancient objects.