Erwin Walter Burger (1909–1982) was a German-born engraver and glass cutter who settled in Italy and became closely linked to Milan’s postwar glass scene. After early training in Germany and a brief Murano chapter, he moved to Milan in the early 1930s to join the newly founded Fontana Arte, where he refined a language of precision cutting, beveling, and reverse-painting aligned with the firm’s Ponti–Chiesa modernism.

From 1945 he worked independently in Milan under the “Burger Kunstglas” label, producing small series and one-off objects—plaques, shallow bowls, trays, and boxes—in cold-worked crystal (molato), often reverse-painted and occasionally backed with metal leaf. Facets, chamfers, and low-relief carving became signature devices to catch and refract light, while decoration ranged from informal abstraction to restrained figuration.

Active through the 1950s–60s, Burger’s studio output is appreciated for uniting Fontana Arte craftsmanship with a personal, hand-driven approach. Collectors value the clear authorship (labels or engraved marks), the intimate scale, and the meticulous edge work that gives his pieces their distinctive presence.