A sultan made of sugar glass
Il Sultano is a little dignitary from an imagined Istanbul: round-cheeked, mustachioed, and endlessly pleased with himself. His kavuk, the ceremonial turban of Ottoman court, is reborn here in the colors of a candy shop: sugar pinks, pistachio greens, sherbet oranges.
Its silhouette bows to the vintage Murano globe lamps of the mid-century; its soul is pure Istanbul. A modern oriental creation, drawn from one tradition and blown in another.
The number is no accident. 34 is Istanbul's city code, and exactly how many of each colorway will ever exist. Every piece is free-blown in Murano by master glassmakers over a white opal core; the ears and eyes are applied by hand in the heat of the furnace, the stars engraved one by one after the glass has cooled. The fire has its own opinions, so no two Sultans are ever quite alike.
By day, a sculpture with a mustache. By night, the whole kavuk glows from within, like light through boiled sugar. He asks only for a good spot in the room, and he will hold court there for generations.
“I was born in Istanbul and grew up surrounded by Ottoman memories. The first time I set foot in Venice, I fell in love with Murano glass, and realized these two cities had been trading beauty across the water for five hundred years. Il Sultano is my small addition to that trade.”
Tugce · Founder & Designer