Guido Maria Balsamo Stella

Guido Balsamo Stella was born in Turin in 1882, and died in Treviso in 1941. He was an engraver from Turin, who boasted Central European artistic training and distant family ties with Murano. A painter, graphic artist, and decorator, Balsamo Stella designed Tuscan crystal and Murano glassware (crafted by Ferro Toso & C.). In 1908, he married the Swedish painter Anna Akerdhal. During a sojourn in Sweden, he met Edward Hald and Simon Gate, and became interested in their work with Orrefors. In 1921, Balsamo Stella summoned to Florence the expert Bohemian engraver Franz Pelzel, with whom he formed a partnership that would last many years. Balsamo Stella would design the form and decoration of the glass objects... more.