Color that went for a swim in clear glass and decided to stay forever.
Pick up a piece of sommerso glass and hold it to the light, and you'll see why collectors love it. Bands of rich color seem to float inside a thick, crystal-clear shell, as if the color has been frozen underwater. That's exactly what the name means: sommerso is Italian for "submerged."
What Is Sommerso Glass?
Sommerso is an art glass technique where one or more layers of colored glass are encased, or "submerged," inside a heavier layer of clear glass. The glassmaker gathers a core of one color, dips it into a second color, and then into clear glass, building the piece up layer by layer while it's hot. The result is a solid, weighty piece with sharp, distinct bands of color, often two or three contrasting shades like cobalt and aqua, amber and green, or ruby and gold.
Where Did It Come From?
Sommerso is most closely tied to Murano, the island in the Venetian lagoon where glassmakers have worked for over 700 years. The technique was developed and perfected there in the 1930s, and it became wildly popular in the 1950s and 1960s, when Murano studios turned out sommerso vases, bowls, ashtrays and animal figures for an eager international market. Designers such as Flavio Poli at the Seguso studio made sommerso famous, and the bold mid-century color pairings still define the look today.
Sommerso Animals
Some of the most beloved sommerso pieces are small animal figures: cats, birds, fish, ducks and seals. Their smooth, simplified shapes show off the layered color beautifully, and their heavy, solid bodies often doubled as paperweights. Glass cats in particular are a collecting favorite, with their tails curled and heads turned, and they appeal to glass collectors and cat lovers alike.
How to Spot Good Vintage Sommerso
- Clean, crisp color bands. Good sommerso has distinct layers with sharp edges where the colors meet, not muddy blending.
- Weight. It's thick, solid glass, so even a small piece feels surprisingly heavy in the hand.
- A finished base. Many pieces have a base that was ground and polished flat, sometimes with a polished pontil mark where the piece was held during making.
- Tooled details. Paws, ears and tails are often pulled and pinched by hand, with small tool marks that show the work of the glassmaker.
- Labels and signatures. Some pieces carry an original foil "Murano" or "Made in Italy" sticker or an engraved signature, but many lost their labels long ago or never had one.
Murano or "Murano Style"?
Because sommerso was so popular, it was widely made outside Murano too, in other parts of Italy, in Eastern Europe, and later in China. Without an original label, signature or documented provenance, it's honest to call a piece "Murano style." That's how we describe unmarked pieces here at Oddly Darling, so you always know exactly what you're getting. An unlabeled piece can still be beautifully made and well worth collecting for its color and craftsmanship.
Caring for Sommerso Glass
Dust with a soft cloth and wash by hand in lukewarm water with a little mild soap. Avoid the dishwasher and sudden temperature changes, which can stress thick glass. Display it where light can pass through it, like a windowsill or a lit shelf, so the colors can really glow.
Shop Our Sommerso Glass
Each of these is a one-of-a-kind find, here until it's gone: