Wright Auction

  • Auctions
      • Auctions
      • Upcoming
      • Past
      • Publications
      • Catalogs
      • Books
      • Upcoming Auctions
        • Post War & Contemporary Art
        • American Design
        • 20|21 Art: Chicago Edition
        • Photographs from the Polaroid Collection
  • Artists & Designers
      • Artists & Designers
      • VIEW ALL
      • Featured Artists & Designers
        • Louis Sullivan
        • Märta Måås-Fjetterström
        • George Nakashima
        • Paul Evans
        • John Dickinson
        • Leo Amino
  • Buying & Selling
      • Buying
      • Bidding
      • Shipping
      • Payment
      • Terms of Sale
      • Selling
      • Sell With Wright
      • Private Sales
      • Trusts, Estates & Appraisals
      • Free Evaluations
      • Submit Your Items Now
  • Contact
      • Information
      • About Wright
      • Contact Us
      • NYC Gallery
      • Opportunities
      • Send Feedback
      • Sign Up For Emails
      • Sign up for auction alerts & news!
log in

Artists & Designers (0)

No Results

Upcoming Items (0)

No Results

Past Items (0)

No Results

Resources (4)

  • View our Auctions

  • About Us

  • Looking to consign an item? We offer Free Evaluations

  • Have another question? Contact us

Designer: Dino Martens
follow artist

  • About
  • Items (186)
  • Auctions (48)

Dino Martens
1894–1970

In the world of 20th century Murano glass design, Dino Martens's legacy is that of inventiveness, experimentation, and excess. We have offered nearly 150 Martens designs at auction, and hold many of the top results for works by the honored glassmaker.

Dino Martens at a Glance

He was born Corrado ‘Dino’ Martens in Venice.

Martens served in the First World War.

He trained as a painter, but collaborated with several glass factories including the firms S.A.L.I.R (Studio Ars et Labor Industrie Riunite) and Salviati & Co. providing visionary glass designs.

He regularly participated in the Venice Biennale between the years of 1924 through 1934.

In 1947, Martens was appointed the artistic director of Aureliano Toso where he remained until retiring in 1959.

(Dino Martens) was artistic (not to say Bohemian), meticulous, unwilling to compromise and gifted with a rich imagination…

Marc Heiremans

Dino Martens & Aureliano Toso

Like many of the great Murano glass designers of the 20th century, Dino Martens was an accomplished painter. Working with the Aureliano Toso glass factory he produced a remarkable series of vases between 1946 and 1960 which combined traditional Venetian techniques with bold colors and asymmetrical forms.

• 
• 
•
Dino Martens, vase, c. 1949

Dino Martens 1894–1970

follow artist

Born in Venice in 1894, Dino Martens studied painting and design at the Accademia di Belle Art in Rome. A talented artist, his paintings were exhibited at the Venice Biennale between 1924 and 1930. In the mid-1920s, Martens was a partner and decorator for S.A.L.I.R. and later took a position as designer for Salviati & Co. In 1939, upon returning from the African War, Martens became artistic director for the famed glass firm, Aureliano Toso.

Martens' work for Aureliano Toso has become legendary for its inventiveness, experimentation and excess. His innovative use of oversized murrines, brightly colored metallic powders and fragments of glass rods, all expressed in wildly biomorphic forms, have become synonymous with Murano glass style of the 1950s.

His innovative use of oversized murrines, brightly colored metallic powders and fragments of glass rods, all expressed in wildly biomorphic forms, have become synonymous with Murano glass style of the 1950s. The Oriente series in particular can be seen as the ultimate expression of Martens’ vision—biomorphic shapes and patchwork compositions full of multi-colored Zanfirico canes, sprays of brightly colored pigment, and black and white murrine pin-wheels. While the Oriente series does possess an undeniable shock-value, even Martens’ wildest designs were carefully rendered from preparatory drawings. To many of these he also attached poetic names such as Nabucco, Ati and Dialettica.

Martens’ life as a soldier, adventurer and painter ultimately found concrete expression in his glass designs. He flourished in the post-war climate of openness which encouraged experimentation. Of the numerous series he created in the 1950s, each seems to suggest an endless array of variants and possibilities.

During his final years at Aureliano Toso, Martens designed pieces which express a greater sensitivity to subtle chromatic effects. For these he often chose elongated forms. These pieces are quite rare, and demonstrate a refined aesthetic at the end of a vibrant and dynamic creative life.

Auction Results Dino Martens

Dino Martens

Sirventese bottle, model 6319

estimate: $30,000–40,000

result: $221,000

Dino Martens

Rare Brocca Generosa vase

estimate: $10,000–12,000

result: $100,000

Dino Martens

Sirventese bottle, model 6319

estimate: $50,000–70,000

result: $75,000

Dino Martens

unique Vanita vase

estimate: $10,000–15,000

result: $70,000

Dino Martens

Eldorado ewer with handle, model 5271

estimate: $50,000–70,000

result: $62,500

Dino Martens

Geltrude vase, model 5299

estimate: $30,000–40,000

result: $62,500

Dino Martens

Oriente vase, model 5380

estimate: $9,000–12,000

result: $31,250

Dino Martens

rare Zanfirico vase

estimate: $10,000–15,000

result: $30,000

To learn more about a work by Dino Martens in your collection, contact our specialists today.

Sign up for auction alerts & news!
  • Upcoming Auctions
  • Artist & Designers
  • Sell with Wright
  • Contact

© Rago Wright, LLC 2025


  • Cookie Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • CA Privacy Notice

  • Terms of Sale
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • SMS Policy

  • Accessibility Widget

A network of independent auction houses

0

List price does not include shipping or sales tax; sales tax will be calculated based on your shipping address.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at 312 563 0020 or sales@wright20.com

Please note items will remain in your cart for 24 hours and are subject to availability.