Who was Carlo Scarpa? Goodwill vase bought for $3.99 at thrift store sells for more than $100,000 at auction 

A woman had recently purchased a glass vase for $3.99 from a local Goodwill charity shop and then shocked the world as she auctioned it for more than $100,000. This happened after she discovered that the vase was made up of a rare and valuable piece of Italian glassware.

Jessica Vincent bought the vase from Hanover County, Virginia’s Goodwill store. She then researched the piece online, joined a few Facebook groups, and found it resembled the work of Carlo Scarpa, a famous Italian architect. She also said she found a small “M” on the bottom of the vase and suspected it might stand for Murano, an Italian Island near Venice popular for glasswork.

In a statement to the New York Times, she said:

"Thankfully, there was nobody in the aisle and I picked it up I couldn't believe that it was glass-like solid glass not painted. It was iridized it was just really beautiful up close. In my mind, I thought maybe it's like a $1000 $2,000 piece. I knew it was good but I didn't know it was like the master work that it is at the moment."

Carlo Scarpa was a popular architect and designer born in Venice in 1906. In terms of materials and landscape, his work was influenced by the history of Venice.

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Carlo Scarpa had won various awards for his work in architecture: More details revealed as Virginia woman sells rare vase for $100,000

Carlo Scarpa's piece of art sold for $100,000 after a woman purchased it for $3.99 from a thrift store. (Image via X)

Calling it “winning a lottery,” Jessica claimed that as she researched the vase, she felt it would be too "nerve wrecking" for her to keep it inside the house, as she feared earthquakes, fire, etc.

"You think about everything like an earthquake, a fire, whatever. Just all of the scenarios go through your head and it's a lot of responsibility to have such an important and expensive object in your home when you're not independently wealthy. I'm so happy that the piece is also back where it belongs really. It's in a safe collection where it's known now," she said.

The vase earned its high value as it was designed by the renowned Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. Wright Auction House’s founder, Richard Wright, claimed he "had a really good feeling" the minute he saw the photos of the piece Jessica sent him.

According to the New York Times, the artwork was auctioned for $107,100 to an unidentified private art collector in Europe. Nearly $83,500 went to Jessica Vincent, and about $23,600 went to Wright Auction House.

Carlo Scarpa was famous for his projects, as his students always felt that he beautifully combined architectural thinking with his refined techniques. Having completed his diploma as an assistant professor in Architectural Drawing from the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Venice, he joined the Architectural Institute of Venice University.

He has won various awards for his work in architecture, including the National Olivetti Award for Architecture in 1956 and the IN-ARCH National Award for Architecture for the Castelvecchio Museum of Verona in 1962. As per Architectuul, he ultimately became the Director of the Architectural Institute of Venice University in 1972.

The auction house's founder said that the vase's fine condition also contributed to fetching it a great price, as a small crack could have reduced about $10,000. The woman who sold it, Vincent, claims she will use the money to renovate her old farmhouse, as she needs a new heating system.