Sommerso glass incorporates small or large particles into thick pieces of glass.[i] Blown pieces of glass are encased in a singular or multiple layers of glass. This effect is created by dipping glasswares into molten glass of various colors. The results are very bright pieces with intricate details featuring metallic elements or bubbles. Earlier sommerso glasswares feature the use of gold leaf or silver leaf particles as surface decoration. Scarpa revives sommerso by including the metallic elements inside of his lattimo glass.
One of Scarpa’s sommerso works is a vase dated from 1934, now in the Phillips de Pury & Company Collection (fig. 9). The small vase is a deep red and charcoal color. It is divided into three sections of color that blend from charcoal to red to charcoal in diagnonal bands. Scarpa’s color choice is a subtler example of brightly colored sommerso vases. It is decorated with golden metallic flakes, similar to the design used in his lattimo vase. These flakes create two angular bands that reach across the vase and connect in the center. The piece also exhibits Scarpa’s careful consideration in the placement of the golden elements to ensure a minimized yet sophisticated look.
[i] Pickvet, 196
