Peter Marino Thinks Small for Handblown Glass Venini Vases

Peter Marino looms large. Consider the global galaxy he has created for fashion’s elite luxury brands: Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, et al. Well, now the architect thinks small with a line of hand-blown glass vases for Venini. The limited-edition collection is dubbed Black Belt, and knowing Marino and his garb, it’s obvious whence the name derives. Vases in four shapes—ovale, quadro, triangolo, and otto (figure eight)—are offered in varied sizes. The fabrication process combines sbruffo and sommerso techniques: transparent glass layered with a tinge of pink, chartreuse, or amber is overlaid with black bands as the piece emerges from the furnace. Always up for something new, Marino lent his hand to the firing. “I tried as hard as I could to get the black to look like a leather strap,” the architect says. In the U.S., the vases will be available at DDC (which is hosting a spring vernissage), Les Ateliers Courbet, and Gagosian gallery.