The Origins
The origins of glassmaking in Venice go back to the
times of the Roman Empire when molded glass was used for
illumination in bathhouses. Blending Roman experience
with the skills learned from the Byzantine Empire and
trade with the Orient, Venice emerged as a prominent
glass-manufacturing center as early as the 8th century.
One of the earliest furnaces for glass on a Venetian
island, dating from the 8th century, was discovered by
archaeologists in 1960.
By the late 1200s, the production of glass objects of
the finest quality was the city’s major industry as
confirmed by the establishment of the Glassmakers Guild
that laid out rules and regulations for the craftsmen.
The purpose of the guild was to safeguard the secrets of
the trade and ensure the profitability of the industry.
In line with these objectives, a 1271 law prohibited the
importation of foreign glass or the employment of
foreign glassworkers.
An even more radical law was passed in 1291 that laid
the ground for the establishment of Murano as a premier
glass-manufacturing center. This law required that all
furnaces used for glassmaking be moved from Venice to
Murano to avoid the risk of fire from the furnaces
spreading onto the largely wooden structures of
overpopulated Venice. Many historians agree that the
true motive for this law was to isolate the glass
craftsmen to a location where they wouldn’t be able to
disclose trade secrets. A subsequent law passed in 1295
forbidding the glassmakers from leaving the city
confirms this theory.
Artisans working in the glass trade were well rewarded
for their efforts. They had a privileged social status,
and their daughters were allowed to marry into the
wealthiest and noblest of Venetian families. By applying
this clever approach, Venetian government ensured that
the glassmakers encouraged their offspring to carry on
the trade, and that trade secrets stayed in the families
and fueled creative processes leading to innovation and
further success. This, along with Venice’s convenient
location at the crossroads of trade between East and
West, gave Venice monopoly power in manufacturing and
selling quality glass throughout Europe that lasted for
centuries.
15th and 16th Centuries and the Full Bloom of Glass
Making
Venetian glass reached the peak of its
popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 15th
century, master Angelo Barovier discovered the process
for producing clear glass - (cristallo) - that allowed
Murano glassmakers to become the only producers of
mirrors in Europe. In addition, the popularity of
Chinese porcelain among European nobility fueled
discovery and production of the white glass mimicking
porcelain (lattimo).
Other types of glassmaking techniques became popular
such as enamelling and gilding glass, which originated
in the Middle East, filigrana glass which is made using
glass rods with inner threads of white, golden or
colored glass that are twisted or intersecting, and ice
glass which appears finely crackled. Variety of shapes
and colors increased, and glassware became more
sophisticated though the beauty was still viewed as the
simplicity of shapes and ornaments.
17th Century and the Slow Decline of Venetian Glass
Starting from the 17th century, Murano glass entered the
period of gradual decline. As Venetian power grip on
trade routes and its importance as a major center of
commerce began to vanish, so did its monopoly power in
glassmaking. New centers of the craft emerged in
Bohemia, England, and France. Yet 17th century still saw
innovation in Murano glass as new techniques continued
to emerge driven by strong baroque trends that spread
through European architecture, painting, interior
decoration, and other art and craft forms.
Brightly colored, intricate glass decorations with
floral and animal motives became popular. New glass
techniques included avventurina (metal flecks embedded
in glass for a sparkly look) and calcedonio (illusion of
semiprecious stones), raised decorations on glass, and
millefiori beads. These new techniques were so
successful that even royal courts ordered glassware from
Murano artisans. One example is King Frederick IV of
Denmark who in early 17th century purchased a glass
collection that is currently on display at the Rosenborg
Palace in Copenhagen.
18th and19th Centuries - The Fall and the Rise
In the 18th century, the decline continued and was
aggravated by worsening political climate and increased
competition from the glassmakers in Bohemia and France.
Some new techniques were introduced, such as engraving
on glassware and mirrors, but they did not make visible
impact. The industry shrunk drastically with Napoleon’s
conquest of Venice in 1797 and his abolishment of all of
Venice’s guilds, including the Glassmakers.
In 1814, the transfer of Venice from France to the
Habsburg Empire spelled the ultimate death sentence to
Murano glassmaking as Habsburg rulers preferred their
native glassmaking center in Bohemia and passed laws
making it prohibitively expensive to bring necessary raw
materials into Murano and export the final product. As a
result, almost half of the 24 furnaces that existed in
Murano in 1800 shut down by 1820, and only 5 furnaces
continued to produce blown glass. However, against all
odds, the industry didn’t die completely ? it was kept
alive by the artisans’ personal dedication to their
centuries-old craft and their father’s hard work that
once made Murano glass world famous.
The breakthrough came in 1854 when six Toso Brothers
opened the firm Fratelli Toso that initially produced
household glass items and window panes but then switched
to reviving forgotten techniques of the past. Five years
later, Antonio Salviati came to Venice from Vicenza
where he practiced law to open a factory dedicated to
production of traditional Murano glass. He saw an
opportunity to revive the craft by producing tiles that
could be used to restore old Venetian mosaics, and he
hired the best Murano masters to work in his factory.
One of his glassblowers, Lorenzo Radi, spent much time
during Austrian rule rediscovering the old methods and
techniques that were used to create old Venetian
mosaics.
Salviati’s plan worked, and Venetian authorities soon
signed a fifteen-year contract with his firm for
restoration of the mosaics in St.Mark’s basilica. At
around the same time, in 1861, Venice mayor Antonio
Colleoni and abbot Vincenzo Zanetti decided to compile
an archive dedicated to the history of Venice containing
not only various writings but also objects of art
produced in the city. Gathering of the objects for the
archive caused renewed interest in Venice’s history, its
past glory, and its famous crafts including glassmaking.
This in turn prompted officials to set up a school for
glassmakers where they were able to learn again the
forgotten techniques and secrets of the craft.
The culminating event in reviving Murano glassblowing
was the exhibition set up by the Archive in 1864 to
display all the recent glass works and reignite
competitive spirit among the craftsmen. On the heels of
that exhibition were other international shows, such as
the highly successful Universal Exposition in Paris in
1867 where Salviati exhibited over 500 works made by his
firm and received international acclaim and multiple
medals. This success and publicity led to complete
revival of Murano, which once again became a booming
economic center, employing 3,500 people by 1869, and a
famous destination.
20th Century - New Identity and the Art of Murano Glass
In the beginning of the 20th century, the master
glassmakers of Murano were still enamored with
reproducing classical styles and rediscovering ancient
techniques, which was evident at Murano and Venice
Exhibition of Choice Glass and Glass Objects staged in
1895 inside Murano City Hall. The rules of the
exhibition dictated that the works showcased be
reproductions of antique glassware. This important event
was well attended by international collectors and glass
admirers who greatly appreciated the works rooted in
unique Murano tradition.
The best works of Murano artists were on display; many
were a product of an important glassmaking technique
called Murrino (mosaic), which was rediscovered at the
end of the 19th century by Vittorio Zuffi while working
for Fratelli Toso. This technique originally emerged in
the 16th century in an effort to imitate ancient Roman
vases. Murano’s famous firm Artisti Barovier received
the Honorary Diploma and the Gold Medal. Other artists
enjoying popularity in Murano at the time were Salviati,
Testolini, and The Toso Brothers (Fratelli Toso).
The year 1895 was also the time of the first Venice
Biennial exhibition where new works of art in
avant-garde and art nouveau styles were showcased. This
highlighted the gap between the modern trends gaining
strength in Europe at the time and the works of Murano
artisans who were deeply attached to the styles and
methods of the past. This gap became even more obvious
at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1900, followed
by Expositions of Decorative Arts in Turin in 1902 and
Milan in 1906. Some Murano artisans, like Vittorio Toso
Borella, became receptive to the new winds blowing on
the art scene and started to produce works in art
nouveaustyle. Though he originally got mixed reviews for
the works he exhibited at Ca’ Pesaro in 1909, Vittorio
went on to produce masterpieces that later became
universally appreciated. Ca’ Pesaro, unlike Venice
Biennial, became an exhibition embracing new artistic
trends and showcasing many works in art vouveau style by
young artists such as Gino Rossi, Arturo Martini, and
Guido Marussig. One of the artists, Vittorio Zecchin,
collaborated extensively with Artisti Barovier to create
designs for their famous glassware.
In the 1920s, art nouveau slowly got replaced by more
modern styles with simpler, cleaner, and more functional
designs. Art deco took the center stage and with it came
less decorated objects with softer lines and more focus
on glassware as part of interior design, not a piece of
art in and of itself. A new company, Vetri Soffiati
Muranesi Capellin Venini, founded in 1921 under Vittorio
Zecchin as its head designer became the champion of this
style.
A little later, in the late 1920s to early 1930s,
another important trend arose in Murano led by Maestri
Vetrai Muranesi Capellin & Co. and Vetreria Artistica
Barovier. The trend was glass animals, which remain
popular even today. Other important innovations
championed in 1930s and continued in early 1940s were
production of glass statues of female nudes and
classical figures of boxers and gods, engraving on
glass, modern lighting fixtures, perfectly proportioned
transparent glass tableware, and the invention of vetro
sommerso ? a technique allowing to produce thick
glassware with one color on the outside and another on
the inside.
During World War II the industry did not thrive, but as
soon as the war was over the glass masters of Murano
returned to their art and created pieces deeply rooted
in interior design trends of that time with focus on
minimalism, functionality, and simplicity. To support
these trends Murano artists and artisans returned to
techniques of the past such as filigree, murrino, and
lattimo. From that point onwards Murano saw continued
exploration of styles and techniques striving to find a
happy medium between the technical mastery and the
outline, color, and decoration.
The resulting continuous innovation led to a rise in
popularity and to multiple prizes at various
international art exhibitions. Thanks to such prominent
artists as Archimede Seguso, Ludovico and Laura De
Santillana, Tobia Scarpa, Ercole Barovier, Fulvio
Bianconi, Toni Zuccheri, Romano Chrivi, Giampaolo
Martinuzzi, and Alfredo Barbini, Murano again became
known as the glassblowing capital of the world. Murano
now created the art trends as opposed to following them
in the years past.
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