Modernist Art Illusion Glass Small Bowl

Modernist Art Illusion Glass Small Bowl

Vintage glass bullseye bowl tricks the eye. You can see a dark orange/red colored circle on the base and the same color encircling the rim. In reality, the color on the rim is not there. The only color on the bowl is in the circle at the center of the base. It must be the thickness and exact form of the glass that produces the illusion. It is probably optical quality glass. The rim color as seen in the image above is normally visible. Tilting the bowl will cause the rim color to disappear.

Hand-blown with an inverted point pontil mark on the polished flat base. The glass recipe contains Manganese, a mineral used during the world wars and depression to replace lead. It was used once again in the 1950’s by elegant makers from all countries and in Italian art glass. Manganese glows light green under blacklight.

This interesting little bowl is most-likely from 1950’s Italy and the modernist glass art movement.

Measures 4″ round and 1.75″ tall. Glass weighs 1.25 lbs, which is very heavy for a small bowl.