Father and son Emanuel and Cesare Toffolo are glass artists trained and working in Murano, Italy. But though their roots are the same, their work is very, very different. Father Cesare makes beautiful, mostly-traditional-looking blown glass vessels and other objects. But if you look more closely, you realize that many of his elegant, classical-looking pieces have the intriguing addition of tiny working or struggling figures climbing over and through them. His son Emanuel, on the other hand, eschews the more traditional forms his father favors and instead creates stunning lampworked pieces beautifully depicting exotic beetles.

Both legitimate artists in their own right, the extreme difference between the work of the father and the work of the son makes me think their relationship might be somewhat tempestuous. At the very least, it must make for some really interesting dinner table conversations…

All images property of Emanuel and Cesare Toffolo.

First, here’s daddy Cesare’s glass:

And now, here’s son Emanuel’s work: