M.v.m Cappellin Biography
In June 1925, Giacomo Cappellin (1887-1968) founded Maestri Vetrai Muranesi Cappellin e Co, a new furnace which soon became one of the best for the modernity and quality of the glass produced. The company purchased Andrea Rioda's furnace with part of the masters, including Giovanni Seguso "Patare", Diego Barovier, Raffaele Ferro, Attilio Moratto and Malvino Pavanello, known for their skill, and successfully presented itself at the First International Exhibition of Arts Decorative of Monza in 1923, proposing a renewed glass art that was inspired by the simplicity and lightness of the Renaissance, rejecting the still predominant nineteenth-century decorations. Their products were characterized by linear blowings with delicate shades of color. Some models, to underline this revolution in the recovery of the best traditions, were inspired by sixteenth-century works of art, such as the "Veronese" vase (from the Annunciation of the Academy) and the "Holbein" (from the Portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze at the Kaiser Friederich Museum in Berlin). Others, while following the same criteria of purity and new design, were characterized by an elegant white cup, such as the "Libellula", of which a perfect example is preserved at the time in the Vittoriale degli Italiani (Gardone). Soon other glass factories also followed the path traced by Cappellin and Venini.
At the grandiose International Exhibition of Decorative Arts held in Paris in 1925, Cappellin presented himself separately from Paolo Venini with the Maestri Vetrai Muranesi Cappellin & C. (where Cappellin was associated with his masters). Vittorio Zecchin remained with Cappellin as artistic director, developing his research on thin blown pieces and sometimes adopting refined techniques such as filigree. Guided by the enthusiasm and passion of its founder, the glassworks saw the entry into the scene of the young Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) starting from the end of 1926. Scarpa came into contact with the MVM in 1925, during the restoration of Palazzo Da Mula, headquarters of the company, on which he had worked. He was initially involved as a draftsman, but soon also became a glass designer, a position he held until 1931. In January 1932, the company closed due to bankruptcy, possibly due to careless management, aggravated by the effects of the economic crisis of 1929.
