“Bacchantes Vase” by Sabino

Marius, founder of Sabino Glass company, was born in Sicily in 1878 and moved to France while he was still a young boy. He studied at L’Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs and the Beaux Arts de Paris, where he became particularly interested in the challenges that the advent of electricity would have on glass manufacture. It was through electric lights that he came to the production of glass. In fact, on his return from the first World War (which he had joined as a volunteer), he founded a factory which manufactured traditional lights fittings of wood or bronze and then quickly changed to glass.

In 1925, Marius created an deep opalescent glass with a blue hue giving the impression of clouds in a blue summer sky. He designed and made special lighting for a luxury cruise ship , the Ile de France in 1927, and a lighted fountain column for the Grand Salon of the famous ship the Normandy in 1935.

He also created a multitude of vases and decorative objects, making great use of his expertise as a sculptor. In particular, busts and statues of women, and an exceptionally large range of animals with stylized features-sometimes in extraordinary large sizes. For example, in 1931 he created a large fish in a limited edition, two of which were bought by Josephine Baker and Maurice Chevalier.

Sabino’s early opalescent glass had a higher arsenic content than most of his competitors, but his glass formula changed after World War II to reduce this dangerous component. The earlier glass is said to feel and look different with a softer and more “soapy” feel.

Early glass was marked “Sabino France” if intended for export, or “Sabino Paris” if intended for sale within France. Larger pieces still carry the “Sabino Paris” signature, which was etched onto the base of the pieces. Smaller pieces are marked “Sabino France” moulded into the side of the item.

After World War II M. E. Marius transferred operations to his nephew and adopted son Gripoix-Sabino. The elder Sabino died in 1961, by which time the company was again producing opalescent glass using the same moulds that he had designed. No new post WWII designs were created. All their output was exported to the USA. In 1978 Gripoix-Sabino sold the entire glass operation (moulds, factory, designs, rights and glass formulae) to the company’s American agent Richard Choucroun and his “Sabino Crystal Company”. The factory is still in France because the moulds are cultural heritage and are not allowed to leave the country. The company still uses the old moulds to reproduce badly finished decorative objects in a poor quality opalescent glass which are exported in large quantities to the US.