This month we explore the work of Vittorio Zecchin (1878-1947), one of the artists featured in the exhibition 1912-1930 Murano Glass and the Venice Biennale, curated by Marino Barovier and open to the public until November 24th.
Among the works on display is a glass tablet known as the Lastrina del Barbaro, which reflects a recurring iconographic motif in the artist’s paintings: that of a dark-skinned warrior in sumptuous robes, of which there are several variants in the contemporary decorative cycle of The Thousand and One Nights (1913–14). The cycle was freely inspired by one of the most famous stories from the Persian collection of the same name and depicted Aladdin’s sumptuous wedding procession towards his betrothed. As can be seen in the painting on display, in both the canvas work and the glass tablet, the male figures stand out for their red headgear, beard and long hair, as well as the cloak with circular elements where Klimt’s inspiration is combined with the memory and technique of Venetian murrina.
