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Domitilla Harding

Domitilla Harding (born July 3, 1960) is an artist, designer, and ceramist renowned for her sculptures in and ceramics that traditional craftsmanship into contemporary expressions of . Born in to publisher and Harding and noblewoman Lavinia Lante della Rovere, Harding grew up in and studied and theater set at the Accademia di e Moda. Her early career in , including founding the Miss Italy label, evolved into a focus on preserving and innovating ancient artisanal techniques, particularly through collaborations with Murano glassblowers since 2013. Harding married , grandson of oil tycoon and co-founder of , in 1982; the couple had three sons—, , and —before separating in 2010 and divorcing in 2011. Now based in , she draws on her family's artistic heritage, including her mother's role as the last family member to live in , to curate exhibitions like A Family of Artists: Ceramics in Two Gardens (2024) in , . Her practice emphasizes dialogue between artist and craftsman, as seen in works like the Lante collection (2024), where glass mimics mineral strata, and installations at the Venice Biennale di Architettura (2023) with Nilufar Gallery. Recent projects include her studio presentation at The Venice Glass Week (2025), showcasing new glass pieces that highlight her lifelong fascination with light, transparency, and historical methods.

Early life and education

Birth and family background

Domitilla Harding was born on July 3, 1960, in New York City. She spent much of her early years primarily in Rome, Italy, where she was raised. Harding is the daughter of John Harding, a British publisher, author, and screenwriter, and Lavinia Lante della Rovere, a member of the historic Italian noble House of Lante della Rovere. The House of della Rovere traces its lineage to prominent Renaissance figures, including Pope Julius II (born Giuliano della Rovere), who ascended to the papacy in 1503 and was known for his patronage of the arts. From an early age, Harding was immersed in a rich cultural environment shaped by her family's pursuits and heritage, including exposure to literature and film through her father's professional work, as well as the historical estates associated with her mother's noble lineage, such as the 16th-century Palazzo Lante in Rome. This familial context fostered her initial appreciation for craftsmanship and artistic traditions.

Education and early influences

Harding grew up in Rome, where her family's noble heritage provided early exposure to historical artifacts and cultural treasures. Harding pursued formal studies in film and theatre set design at the Accademia di Costume e Moda in Rome, an institution renowned for its focus on costume, fashion, and scenic arts. This education honed her skills in creating immersive environments and sparked her initial experiments with textiles and set elements, laying the groundwork for her multidisciplinary approach to design. Harding's early influences were deeply rooted in her family's intellectual environment, shaped by discussions on literature and visual arts led by her father, John Harding, a publisher, author, and screenwriter. These conversations fostered her creative curiosity and directed her toward the arts. Complementing this, her lifelong fascination with traditional crafts, ancient techniques, and the transformation of materials emerged from observations of Italy's rich heritage sites during her youth in .

Career

Fashion and furniture design

Domitilla Harding's early career in was defined by her innovative work in and furniture , rooted in her training in and set at the Accademia di Costume e Moda. This equipped her with a keen eye for aesthetic composition and material innovation, which she applied to creating functional yet artistic pieces across both disciplines. In the 1990s, Harding launched the fashion label, establishing it as a platform for garments inspired by and traditional Italian textile methods. The brand emphasized a blend of modern and archival styles, producing limited-edition collections that highlighted her commitment to unique, handcrafted apparel. to her fashion endeavors, Harding designed custom furniture, focusing on artisanal and to craft pieces that evoked historical motifs while serving contemporary needs. These ventures in Rome underscored Harding's dedication to limited-edition productions, where she collaborated with local craftsmen to bridge past and present .

Transition to glass and ceramics

Around 2013, Domitilla Harding shifted her practice from and furniture toward , embracing ceramics and as her primary mediums. This pivot marked a departure from commercial applications, allowing her to explore sculptural forms through material innovation rooted in her earlier expertise. Central to this transition was her intensive collaboration with master glassblower Andrea Zilio at the Anfora foundry on Murano, Italy, beginning around that time. Together, they conducted extensive experimentation with traditional blowing and molding techniques, pushing the boundaries of Venetian glassmaking to create vessels, vases, and abstract sculptures that blended functionality with artistic expression. This partnership not only revived historic methods but also integrated Harding's design sensibilities into durable, translucent forms. To support this ongoing work with Murano artisans, Harding acquired a studio in Venice, enabling seamless access to the island's craft heritage and fostering deeper immersion in the local ecosystem of glass production. This relocation solidified her mature practice, where prior skills in material manipulation evolved into a focused exploration of glass and ceramics as sculptural media.

Notable collaborations and projects

One of Domitilla Harding's prominent recent projects is the Lante collection, launched in 2024, which features glass pieces that mimic mineral strata and layered quartz forms through innovative blowing and layering techniques, thereby exploring geological textures and material transformation. These works draw on Harding's expertise in transmuting glass to resemble natural stone formations, with pastel hues and textured depths that evoke stratified earth layers. The Vasi e Bottiglioni series, developed around , consists of functional yet sculptural glass vessels produced in collaboration with artisans, highlighting the material's transparency and fluid forms to blend utility with artistic expression. These handblown pieces, including vases and bottles, emphasize elegant silhouettes and subtle color gradients achieved through traditional glassmaking methods. In 2023, Harding contributed to a project at Nilufar Gallery involving site-specific installations at Aeroporto Nicelli during the di Architettura, where her handblown glass vases and objects were arranged to interact with the historic airport's architecture, creating immersive dialogues between design and environment. These installations featured pieces like iridescent vases that complemented the venue's spatial narrative, underscoring her ongoing collaboration with foundries since 2013. In 2025, Harding presented new glass pieces at her studio during The Venice Glass Week, showcasing her continued exploration of light, transparency, and historical glassmaking techniques.

Artistic practice

Materials and techniques

Domitilla Harding's artistic practice prominently features glass, which she has explored intensively since 2013 through collaborations with master glassblowers on the island. She employs traditional techniques such as blowing to shape fluid, organic forms in vessels, vases, and abstract sculptures, often pushing the medium's limits to create ethereal, otherworldly effects that evoke submerged or geological elements. Central to her process is the integration of fusing and methods, which allow for the of contrasting textures—smooth and rough, transparent and opaque—generating visual tension and depth. In the Lante collection (2024), for instance, these techniques transform into mineral-like strata with hues and complex tonalities, making the material appear as if unearthed rather than crafted. Harding also incorporates ceramics into her sculptures, on her background in to produce handpainted pieces that complement her glasswork, though her primary innovations remain in the glass medium.

Themes and influences

Domitilla Harding's artistic practice centers on the of , particularly , which she employs to evoke like , , and , symbolizing fluidity and . In collections such as Lante, her glass pieces undergo a that blends smooth and rough textures, mimicking mineral strata with layered, earthy tones and surfaces resembling geological formations. This approach captures the essence of natural processes, where transparency yields to opacity, suggesting an organic evolution frozen in time rather than a manufactured outcome. By immersing glass in to fracture its external clarity and treating it with to generate internal bubbles that trap , Harding imbues her works with a sense of precarious , reflecting the , ephemeral quality of and the enduring of minerals. Her influences are deeply rooted in , her noble family history, and ancient techniques, manifesting in motifs drawn from and nature. As the daughter of Lante della Rovere, the last member of an ancient noble lineage, Harding's oeuvre subtly incorporates elements of familial heritage, evoking the grandeur of historical estates and landscapes through sculptural forms that echo architectural silhouettes and organic patterns. This is complemented by her engagement with traditions, particularly in ceramics and glass, where she draws on the intricate designs and glassmaking legacies to infuse contemporary pieces with historical depth. Ancient influences appear in her revival of foundational methods, adapted through collaborations with artisans to create vessels that recall classical amphorae and natural motifs like flowing water or stratified stone, bridging antiquity with modern expression. Themes of and permeate Harding's work, informed by her background in and furniture design. By partnering with master craftsmen on since 2013, Harding safeguards endangered techniques, transforming potential obsolescence into innovative expressions that honor Italian craft heritage. Her pieces, like craquelé crystal bowls, embody this ethos by extending the life of traditional methods into light-trapping forms.

Exhibitions and recognition

Solo exhibitions

In 2025, Harding organized a studio presentation during The Glass Week in , featuring new works that delved into her evolving techniques and insights, in collaboration with C.G. Williams, . The event, held 13–21 September at her studio, allowed for an intimate of her , underscoring themes of craftsmanship and , and drew visitors interested in her transition to artistry.

Group exhibitions and awards

Harding's work has been featured in several prominent group exhibitions that highlight contemporary Italian and design. In 2015, she participated in Arte Del Vetro Oggi In Italia, curated by Jean Blanchaert, at Villa Necchi Campiglio in , where she exhibited nine sculptures alongside other leading artists exploring modern interpretations of the medium. In 2013, Harding contributed to the group exhibition Wood Glass Paper at Galleria Alessandra Bonomo in , presenting hybrid material experiments blending wood, glass, and paper to explore interdisciplinary boundaries. This show highlighted her curatorial emphasis on tactile contrasts and craftsmanship, receiving attention for its innovative fusion of traditional media in contemporary contexts. Her pieces have also appeared in collective shows emphasizing innovative glass techniques and architectural integrations. Notable among these is the 2023 installation at Aeroporto Nicelli as part of the Venice Biennale di Architettura, organized by Nilufar Gallery, which showcased her vases and furnishings in dialogue with works by designers like Odd Matter and Draga & Aurel to evoke futuristic design narratives. Additional group exhibitions include her participation at Studio Yali in Venice during the Biennale (2015); Glass (2016) at Villa Dei Vescovi in Padova, where she displayed eight sculptures; Murano Oggi: Emozioni di Vetro (2016–2017) at the Museo del Vetro in Murano, organized by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, featuring her sculptures with international artists like Judi Harvest; and May Italian Art (2020) at Galleria Alessandra Bonomo in Rome, a beneficence initiative presenting her glass works amid contributions from Seboo Migone and Sabina Mirri during the COVID-19 emergency. Beyond exhibitions, Harding's recognition stems from her integration into international design ecosystems rather than formal awards. Her works are included in prestigious gallery collections, such as those of Nilufar Gallery, which has consistently featured her glass vessels in global design fairs like Salon Art + Design, underscoring her influence in bridging artisanal with contemporary ; no major prizes have been documented to date.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Domitilla Harding married , the son of philanthropist J. Paul Getty Jr. and grandson of oil tycoon , in 1982 at the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles in . The union lasted nearly three decades until their divorce in 2011, linking Harding to the influential dynasty through her husband's family heritage. The couple had three sons: Joseph, Alexander, and Julius Getty. Joseph Getty, who married jewelry designer Sabine Ghanem in 2015, pursued a career in finance, working for a hedge fund in London. Alexander Getty established himself as a photographer in San Francisco, with his work featured in exhibitions such as one at the Leila Heller Gallery in New York in 2014. Julius Getty, the youngest, has maintained a lower public profile regarding his professional pursuits.

Residences and later life

In 1985, Domitilla Harding and her husband purchased an abandoned village near in the , , and began a gradual restoration process, renovating it one house at a time. The property, a historic borgo featuring rustic elements like hand-painted walls, terracotta floors, and wood-beamed ceilings, was transformed into a personal creative retreat. Harding integrated gardens, including a wood and pergola for outdoor gatherings, and incorporated her own and artworks throughout the spaces to reflect her artistic practice. Following her 2011 divorce from Getty, which served as a catalyst for change, Harding relocated full-time to the from their previous home at in . She has since maintained additional workspaces in , where she conducts , including a studio at 462 used for exhibitions and production. These urban studios complement her rural base, allowing her to pursue specialized glass work while rooted in . As of 2025, Harding balances her life between the serene Tuscan countryside and periodic urban engagements, such as participating in The Glass Week with new glass installations at her studio. This lifestyle supports her ongoing artistic output, with the restored borgo serving as both residence and inspirational hub for her ceramics and glass creations.

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