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Venetian glass

Venetian glass (Italian: vetro veneziano) is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techniques, as well as gilding, enamel, or engraving. Production has been concentrated on the Venetian island of Murano since the 13th century. Today Murano is known for its art glass, but it has a long history of innovations in glassmaking in addition to its artistic fame—and was Europe's major center for luxury glass from the High Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance. During the 15th century, Murano glassmakers created cristallo—which was almost transparent and considered the finest glass in the world. Murano glassmakers also developed a white-colored glass (milk glass called lattimo) that looked like porcelain. They later became Europe's finest makers of mirrors.

Murano vase, around 1600, Hermitage Museum
Decorated bowl from Murano, c. 1870

During the Early Middle Ages, Venice was originally controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire before eventually becoming an independent city state. It flourished as a trading center and seaport in the High Middle Ages. Its connections with the Middle East helped its glassmakers gain additional skills, as glassmaking was more advanced in areas such as Syria and Egypt. Although Venetian glassmaking in factories existed as far back as the eighth century, it became concentrated in Murano by law beginning in 1291: since glass factories often caught fire, this removed much of the possibility of a major fire disaster for the city. Venetian glassmakers developed secret recipes and methods for making glass, and the concentration of Venice's glassmaking on the island of Murano enabled better control of those secrets.

Murano became Europe's luxury glassmaking center, peaking in popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. Venice's dominance in trade along the Mediterranean created a wealthy merchant class that was a strong connoisseur of the arts. This helped establish demand for art glass and more innovations. The spread of glassmaking talent in Europe eventually diminished the importance of Venice and its Murano glassmakers. The occupation and dissolution of the Venetian state by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797 caused more hardship for Murano's glassmaking industry. Murano glassmaking began a revival in the 1920s. Today, Murano and Venice are tourist attractions, and Murano is home to numerous glass factories and a few individual artists' studios. Its Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) in the Palazzo Giustinian contains displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.

Middle Ages Edit

 
Venice and Murano

The Venetian city state grew during the decline of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, as people fled the barbarian invasions to the safety of islands in the Venetian Lagoon. Small communities grew in the lagoon, among which Venice eventually became the most prominent. The city of Venice became a highly successful trading port, and by the inception of the 11th century dominated trade between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It also had a strong navy. Many European Crusaders passed through Venice on their way to and from the Holy Land. Treasures of many kinds were bought and sold in Venice: spices, precious metals, gemstones, ivory, silks—and glass. Successful trade bred a wealthy merchant class in addition to the nobles, and the wealthy became patrons of Venice's famous art and architecture.[1]

It is thought that glass production in Venice began as early as around 450, as glassmakers from Aquileia fled to the islands to escape barbarian invaders.[Note 1] The earliest archaeological evidence of a glass factory in the area comes from the Venetian lagoon island of Torcello and dates from the seventh or eighth century.[5] The original Venetian glassmakers were joined by glassmakers from Byzantium and from the Middle East—which enriched their glassmaking knowledge.[4] Glass was made in the Middle East long before it was made in Europe, though Ancient Roman glass made in Italy, Germany and elsewhere could be extremely sophisticated.[Note 2] Early products included beads, glass for mosaics, jewelry, small mirrors, and window glass.[8]

Venetian glassmaking grew in importance to the city's economy. Around 1271 the local glassmakers' guild made rules to help preserve glassmaking secrets. It was forbidden to divulge trade secrets outside of Venice. If a glassworker left the city without permission, he would be ordered to return.[Note 3] If he failed to return, his family would be imprisoned. If he still did not return, an assassin would be sent to kill him. Additional rules specified ingredients used for making glass and the type of wood used as fuel for the furnaces.[10]

Island of Murano Edit

 
The Doge visits Murano

A law dated November 8, 1291 confined most of Venice's glassmaking industry to the "island of Murano".[11] Murano is actually a cluster of islands linked by short bridges, located less than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the Venetian mainland in the Venetian lagoon.[Note 4] The furnaces used to make molten glass were a fire hazard, especially in cities with wooden structures nearby. Moving the glassmaking industry to Murano removed the threat of a disastrous fire in Venice. The move also kept the technology of glassmaking, and the glassmakers, confined to Murano. This prevented the spread of Venetian glassmaking expertise to potential competitors. Glassmakers were not allowed to leave the island without permission from the government. Leaving without permission, or revealing trade secrets, was punishable by death. Locating the industry on a single island also made it easier for the government to monitor imports and exports.[13]

Murano in the 1200s was a summer resort where the aristocrats of Venice built villas with orchards and gardens. It took about an hour to row a boat from Venice to Murano.[15] Although the glassmakers could not leave the island, the nobles had no such constraints. Despite their travel restrictions, the glassmakers lived on a beautiful island, were under the direct rule of Venice's Council of Ten (the Venetian state-security committee), and had extra privileges.[16] They did not work during the hot summer, during which furnace repair and maintenance was performed.[17] During the 1300s, the annual summer vacation lasted five months.[18] In the 1400s, the Venetian government shortened the summer vacation to three and a half months.[19] Murano glassmakers sometimes complained they were not working enough.[Note 5] Glassmakers also enjoyed heightened social status. On December 22, 1376, it was announced that if a glassmaker's daughter married a nobleman, there was no forfeiture of social class, so their children were nobles.[21]

Major products and innovations Edit

 
Carafes containing aventurine glass thread

The Venetian glassmakers of Murano are known for many innovations and refinements to glassmaking. Among them are Murano beads, cristallo, lattimo, chandeliers, and mirrors.[13] Additional refinements or creations are goldstone, multicolored glass (millefiori), and imitation gemstones made of glass.[22] In addition to guarding their secret processes and glass recipes, Venetian/Murano glassmakers strived for beauty with their glass.[23]

Aventurine Edit

Aventurine glass, also known as goldstone glass, is translucent brownish with metallic (copper) specks. It was developed by Venetian glassmakers in the early 15th century.[24] It is first cited in historical documents in 1626.[25] The name aventurine is used because it was discovered accidentally.[25]

Beads Edit

 
Millefiori beads

Glass beads (a.k.a. Murano beads) were made by the Venetians beginning in the 1200s. The beads were used as rosary beads and jewelry. They were also popular in Africa. Christopher Columbus noted that the people of the New World (Native Americans) were "delighted" with the beads as gifts, and beads became popular with American Indians.[26]

Calcedonio Edit

Calcedonio is a marbled glass that looked like the semiprecious stone chalcedony.[27] This type of glass was created during the 1400s by Angelo Barovier, who is considered Murano's greatest glassmaker.[28] Barovier was an expert glassblower, revived enameling, and also worked with colored glass. His family had been involved with glassmaking since at least 1331, and the family continued in the business after his death.[29] He died in 1460.[Note 6]

Chandeliers Edit

During the 1700s, Giuseppe Briati was famous for his work with ornamented mirrors and chandeliers.[23] Briati's chandelier style was called ciocche—literally bouquet of flowers. Briati's typical chandelier was large with multiple arms decorated with garlands, flowers and leaves. One of the common uses of the huge Murano chandeliers was interior lighting for theatres and important rooms in palaces. Briati was born in Murano in 1686, and his family's business was glassmaking. He was allowed to work in a Bohemian glass factory, where he learned the secrets of working with Bohemian crystal—which was becoming more popular than Murano cristallo. In 1739, the Council of Ten allowed him to move his furnace from Murano to Venice because his work had caused such jealousy that he and his workers feared for their lives. (His father had been stabbed to death in 1701.)[32] Briati retired in 1762, and his nephew became manager of the glass works. Briati died in Venice in 1772, and is buried in Murano.[33]

Cristallo Edit

 
Enameled cristallo stem glass, around 1500

Cristallo is a soda glass, created during the 15th century by Murano's Angelo Barovier.[Note 7] The oldest reference to cristallo is dated May 24, 1453.[9] At the time, cristallo was considered Europe's clearest glass, and is one of the main reasons Murano became "the most important glass center".[13]

The name arose because it looked like rock crystal or clear quartz, which had long been carved into various types of vessels and small hardstone carvings.[36] Rock crystal was said to have magical qualities and in the Middle Ages was often used in Christian religious objects. Cristallo became very popular.[31] This type of glass was fragile and difficult to cut, but it could be enameled and engraved.[37] Manganese dioxide, a de-coloring agent,[36] was a key ingredient in the secret formula used to make cristallo.[8] An easy modification to cristallo made in Murano was to produce a frosted or crackle version.[38] The use of "crystal" as a marketing term for glass has continued into modern times, though for at least the last century it has normally meant lead crystal glass of the type developed by Ravenscroft. Cristallo could be made extremely thin, thus reducing the remaining hint of color, and the Venetians usually made clear pieces this way.[36]

Filigrana Edit

 
Filigree style jar

The filigrana (a.k.a. filigree) style was developed in Murano in the 1500s. By embedding glass canes (usually white but not always) in colorless glass, the glassware has a striped appearance. Vetro a fili has straight white stripes, vetro a retortoli has twisted or spiral patterns, and vetro a reticello has two sets of lines twisted in opposite directions. Francesco Zeno has been mentioned as the inventor of vetro a retortoli.[39]

Lattimo Edit

 
Enameled lattimo glass

Lattimo, or milk glass, began being made in Murano during the 15th century, and Angelo Barovier is credited with its re-discovery and development.[40] This glass is opaque white, and was meant to resemble enameled porcelain.[41] It was often decorated with enamel showing sacred scenes or views of Venice.[42]

Millefiori Edit

 
Millefiori bowl circa 1870s

Millefiori glass is a variation of the murrine technique made from colored canes in clear glass, and is often arranged in flower-like patterns. The Italian word millefiori means thousand flowers.[24] This technique was perfected in Alexandria, Egypt, and began being used in Murano in the 15th century.[43]

Mirrors Edit

Small mirrors were made in Murano beginning in the 1500s, and mirror makers had their own guild beginning in 1569.[44] Murano mirrors were known for the artwork on the frame that held the mirror in addition to their quality.[44] By the 1600s, Murano mirrors were in great demand. However, by the end of the century, English-made mirrors had the best quality. Only one glass house in Murano was still making mirrors by 1772.[45]

Murrine Edit

Murrine technique begins with the layering of colored liquid glass, heated to 1,040 °C (1,900 °F), which is then stretched into long rods called canes. When cooled, these canes are then sliced in cross-sections, which reveals the layered pattern. Ercole Barovier, a descendant of Murano's greatest glassmaker Angelo Barovier, won numerous awards during the 1940s and 1950s for his innovations using the murrine technique.[46]

Sommerso Edit

Sommerso ("submerged" in Italian), is a form of artistic Murano glass that has layers of different colors (typically two), which are formed by dipping colored glass into another molten glass and then blowing the combination into a desired shape. The outermost layer, or casing, is often clear. Sommerso was developed in Murano during the late 1930s. Flavio Poli was known for using this technique, and it was made popular by Seguso Vetri d'Arte and the Mandruzzato family in the 1950s. This process is a popular technique for vases, and is sometimes used for sculptures.[46]

Golden age, decline, and revival Edit

 
Barovier enameled glass

The 16th century was the golden age for Venetian glassmaking in Murano. Major trading partners included the Spanish Indies, Italy, Spain, Ottoman Turkey, and the German-speaking states.[47] At least 28 glassmaking furnaces were in Murano in 1581.[48] Numerous leaders and dignitaries visited Murano during this century, including the queen of France, dukes, princes, generals, cardinals, archbishops, and ambassadors.[49] Collectors of Murano glass included Henry VIII of England, Pope Clement VII, King Ferdinand of Hungary, Francis I of France, and Philip II of Spain.[50]

During the 16th century Murano glassmakers liberated themselves from the imitation of metalwork shapes, which had previously been their habit. Shapes became elongated and elegant, "then more elaborate and inclining to fantasy", for example in the hot-work pieces added to the sides of the stems of glasses. The glass was extremely thin, and therefore fragile, adding to the effect of luxury.[36]

In 1612 the Florentine priest Antonio Neri published L’Arte Vetraria (The Art of Glass), which revealed all the secrets of Venetian glass production to the outside world,[51] and by the later 16th century the efforts of the Venetian Republic to hold on to its virtual monopoly in the production of luxury glass, mainly by keeping skilled workers in the republic, were beginning to fail. Other countries, often led by their monarchs, were keen to have their own fine glass industries, and tempted skilled workers away. This led to a diffusion of the Venetian style to many centres around Europe. The glass made in this movement is called façon de Venise (French for "Venetian style"); the quality is typically rather lower than the Venetian originals, partly from difficulties sourcing the right materials, and the place of manufacture is often hard to discern. Engraved glass was a part of this diffusion, and initially was especially developed in Germany.[52]

Eventually, the dominance of cristallo came to an end. In 1673, English glass merchant George Ravenscroft created a clear glass he called crystalline—but it was not stable. Three years later, he improved this glass by adding lead oxide, and lead glass (a.k.a. crystal) was created.[53] Ravenscroft, who had lived for many years in Venice, made lead crystal that was less breakable than cristallo.[54] In 1674, Bohemian glassmaker Louis le Vasseur d'Ossimont (1629-1689) made crystal that was similar to Ravenscroft's.[55] In 1678, Johan Friedrich Kunkel von Lowenstein produced a cristallo-like glass in Potsdam.[56] The Bohemian and Prussian-style glass was later modified by the addition of lime and chalk. This new glass is attributed to Bohemian glassmaker Michael Müller in 1683.[56] It had a tendency to crizzle at first, but the problem had been solved by 1714.[57] The Bohemian glass was not suitable to the Murano-style artwork on the glass. However, this harder glass was produced as a thicker glass suitable for glass engraving and grinding. The Bohemian and English glass eventually became more popular than cristallo made in Murano.[56] By the 1700s, Murano glass was traded mostly with Italian states and the Turkish empire. Small quantities were traded with England, Flanders, the Netherlands and Spain.[58]

Napoleon conquered Venice during May 1797, and the Venetian Republic came to an end.[59] The fall of the Venetian Republic caused hard times for glassmaking in Murano, and some of the Murano methods became lost. Controlled by France and Austria, Venetian glassmaking became unprofitable because of tariffs and taxes—and glassmakers that survived were reduced to making mostly beads.[60] Napoleon closed the Venetian glass factories in 1807, although simple glassware and beadmaking continued.[61] In the 1830s, outsiders tried to revive the industry.[23] However, it was not until Venice became part of Italy in 1866 that Murano glassmaking could experience a revival.[60] Around that time, local leaders such as Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti (founder of the Murano Glass Museum), along with the Murano factory owners, began reinventing the earlier Murano techniques for making glass.[61] Antonio Salviati, a Venetian lawyer who gave up his profession in 1859 in order to devote his time to glassmaking, also had an important role in the revival of glassmaking in Murano.[62]

Making glass Edit

 
Glassmaking tools holding a glass horse being shaped

From its beginning until the fall of the Venetian Republic, Murano glass was mostly a very high quality soda–lime glass (using today's terminology) that had extra attention focused on its appearance. Glass from that time typically contained 65 to 70 percent silica.[63] A flux, usually soda (sodium oxide as 10 to 20 percent of the glass composition) was added to enable the silica to melt at a lower temperature. A stabilizer, usually lime (calcium oxide as about 10 percent of the glass) was also added for durability and to prevent solubility in water. Small quantities of other ingredients were added to the glass, mostly to affect appearance.[64] Sand is a common source for silica. For certain types of glass, the Murano glassmakers used quartz as their source for silica. Quartz pebbles were crushed into a fine powder. Two sources for sand were Crete and Sicily. Quartz pebbles were selected from the Ticino and Adige rivers in Northern Italy.[65] Their source for soda was what they called allume catina—plant ash found in the eastern Mediterranean countries of the Middle East.[63] Beginning in the 16th century, allume catina was also imported from Mediterranean coastal regions of Spain and France.[65]

The mixing and melting of the batch of ingredients was a two-stage process. First, nearly equal amounts of silica and flux were continuously stirred in a special furnace. The furnace was called a calchera furnace, and the mix was called fritta. In the second stage, the fritta was mixed with selected recycled waste glass (cullet) and melted in another furnace.[66] Depending on the type and color of glass, other additives were used. Lead and tin were added for white opaque glass (latimo). Cobalt was used for blue glass. Copper and iron were used for green and for various shades of green, blue, and yellow.[67] Manganese was used to remove colors.[68] Although natural gas is the furnace fuel of choice for glassmaking today, the fuel mandated in Murano during the 13th century was alder and willow wood.[5] During this second stage, the surface of the molten glass was skimmed to remove undesirable chemicals that affected the appearance of the glass.[66] Additional techniques were used as glassmaking evolved. To improve clarity, molten glass was put in water and then re-melted. Another technique was to purify the flux by boiling and filtering.[64]

Tools Edit

The Venetian glassmakers had a set of tools that changed little for hundreds of years. A ferro sbuso, also called a canna da soffio, is the blowpipe essential for extracting molten glass and beginning the shaping process.[69][Note 8] A borselle is a tong-like tool of various sizes used to shape glass that has not hardened. A borselle puntata is a similar tool, only it has a pattern that can be imprinted on the glass.[71] A pontello is the pontil, an iron rod that holds the glass while work is done on the edge of the glass.[19] A tagianti is a large scissors used to cut glass before it has hardened. A scagno is the workbench used by the glassmaker.[72] "Good tools are nice, but good hands are better", is an old Murano saying that reinforces the idea that the glassmakers of Murano rely on their skills instead of any advantage caused by special tools.[73]

Today Edit

 
 
Modern Murano glass

Some of Venice's historical glass factories in Murano remain well known brands today, including De Biasi, Gabbiani, Venini, Salviati, Barovier & Toso, Pauly, Berengo Studio, Seguso, Formia International, Simone Cenedese, Alessandro Mandruzzato, Vetreria Ducale, Estevan Rossetto 1950 and others. The oldest glass factory is Antica Vetreria Fratelli Toso, founded in 1854.[74]

Overall, the industry has been shrinking as demand has waned. Imitation works (recognizable by experts but not by the typical tourist) from Asia and Eastern Europe take an estimated 40 to 45 percent of the market for Murano glass, and public tastes have changed while the designs in Murano have largely stayed the same. To fight the imitation problem, a group of companies and concerned individuals created a trademark in 1994 that certifies that the product was made on Murano. By 2012, about 50 companies were using the Artistic Glass Murano® trademark of origin.[75]

Glassmaking is a difficult and uncomfortable profession, as glassmakers must work with a product heated to extremely high temperatures. Unlike 500 years ago, children of glassmakers do not enjoy any special privileges, extra wealth, or marriage into nobility. Today, it is difficult to recruit young glassmakers. Foreign imitations, and difficulty attracting young workers, caused the number of professional glassmakers in Murano to decrease from about 6,000 in 1990 to fewer than 1,000 by 2012.[75]

Alaska Edit

In February 2021, Venetian glass trade beads were announced to have been found at three prehistoric Eskimo sites in Alaska, including Punyik Point. Uninhabited today, and located a mile from the Continental Divide in the Brooks Range, the area was on ancient trade routes from the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean. The researchers believed the likely route these artifacts traveled from their creation in Venice was across Europe, then Eurasia and finally over the Bering Strait, making this discovery "the first documented instance of the presence of indubitable European materials in prehistoric sites in the western hemisphere as the result of overland transport across the Eurasian continent." From radiocarbon dating materials found near the beads, archaeologists estimated their arrival on the continent to sometime between 1440 and 1480, predating Christopher Columbus.[76] The dating and provenance has however been challenged by other researchers who point out that such beads were first made in Venice in the mid-16th century, and that an early 17th-century French origin is also possible.[77][78]

See also Edit

Notes Edit

Footnotes Edit

  1. ^ There are two main theories about the beginning of Venetian glassmaking. One is that glassmaking began as glassmakers from Aquileia arrived after fleeing barbarian invasions during the fifth century.[2] A 19th-century author credits Italian writers Carlo Marin and the Count Filiasi for this idea.[3] Shotwell supports this theory and uses the year 450 as the approximate start date.[4] A second theory is that Venetian glassmaking developed from Venetian interaction and trade with the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean).[2] Janssens says that "similarities in techniques and forms between Venetian glass and Byzantine and Islamic glass are evident".[2]
  2. ^ The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is considered the birthplace of glassmaking. Glass was made there before 2000 B.C.[6] Glass was made in Syria as far back as 1700 B.C., and around 100 B.C. the Syrians started glassblowing.[7]
  3. ^ While the Murano glassmakers were typically men, records exist beginning in the 1400s of women working in the manufacture of glass in Murano. A record from 1446 describes the employment of a woman who decorated glass and worked for Salvatore Barovier.[9]
  4. ^ Dugan and Shotwell describe Murano as a group of small islands connected by bridges.[12][13] The official Murano glass shop says Murano is 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from Venice.[14]
  5. ^ In the 1540s, the Murano glassmakers were unhappy with the 35-week work year, complaining that they did not get enough time to work—contrary to typical complaints of too much work.[20]
  6. ^ At least three authors agree that Angelo Barovier died in 1460.[9][30] The date of his birth is less certain, but is said to be around 1400.[31]
  7. ^ Angelo Barovier is generally credited with creating cristallo, and was definitely making it in 1455.[34] One set of authors believes that cristallo was an incremental "development that stretched over nearly two centuries."[35] They speculate that Barovier perfected the soda ash purification process used for cristallo, and also discovered the stabilizer.[35]
  8. ^ Ferro sbuso comes from the Muranese language, where adding an "S" at the beginning of a noun (substantive) turns it into a verb or an adjective.[70]

Citations Edit

  1. ^ Zerwick 1990, p. 49
  2. ^ a b c Janssens 2011, p. 520
  3. ^ Sauzay 1870, p. 20
  4. ^ a b Shotwell 2002, p. 586
  5. ^ a b Toso 2000, p. 25
  6. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 343
  7. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 546
  8. ^ a b Shotwell 2002, p. 587
  9. ^ a b c Toso 2000, p. 46
  10. ^ Shotwell 2002, pp. 586–587
  11. ^ United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 1917, p. 789
  12. ^ Dugan 2019, p. 123
  13. ^ a b c d Shotwell 2002, p. 366
  14. ^ "Murano Island". MuranoGlassItaly. MuranoGlassItaly Store. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  15. ^ Zerwick 1990, pp. 49–50
  16. ^ Moore 1935, p. 31
  17. ^ Dillon 1907, p. 182
  18. ^ Toso 2000, p. 37
  19. ^ a b Toso 2000, p. 45
  20. ^ Moore 1935, p. 33
  21. ^ Toso 2000, p. 40
  22. ^ Geary 2008, p. 202
  23. ^ a b c "Ancient and Modern Venetian Glass of Murano". Harper's New Monthly Magazine. New York: Harper and Brothers. 1882-01-01. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  24. ^ a b Shotwell 2002, p. 24
  25. ^ a b Toso 2000, p. 97
  26. ^ Zerwick 1990, pp. 50–51
  27. ^ Hess, Husband & J. Paul Getty Museum 1997, p. 90
  28. ^ Chambers et al. 1999, p. 21
  29. ^ McCray 2017, chapter 5 of e-book
  30. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 30
  31. ^ a b Chambers et al. 1999, p. 22
  32. ^ Toso 2000, pp. 122–124
  33. ^ Toso 2000, p. 127
  34. ^ Moore 1935, p. 37
  35. ^ a b Syson & Thornton 2001, p. 186
  36. ^ a b c d Osborne, 398
  37. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 110
  38. ^ Dillon 1907, p. 203
  39. ^ Page & Doménech 2004, p. 18
  40. ^ Hess, Husband & J. Paul Getty Museum 1997, p. 73
  41. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 294
  42. ^ Fuga 2006, p. 257
  43. ^ Fuga 2006, p. 282
  44. ^ a b Shotwell 2002, p. 351
  45. ^ Moore 1935, p. 48
  46. ^ a b "1950s Glassware Reflects Distinct Era". Annapolis Capital. 1999-02-19. p. 123.  
  47. ^ Toso 2000, p. 61
  48. ^ Toso 2000, p. 62
  49. ^ Toso 2000, p. 64
  50. ^ Toso 2000, p. 66
  51. ^ Deconstructing Glass and Building up Shards at the Early Royal Society
  52. ^ Battie & Cottle, 68, 71–77
  53. ^ Toso 2000, p. 102
  54. ^ Zerwick 1990, p. 65
  55. ^ Toso 2000, p. 103
  56. ^ a b c Toso 2000, p. 105
  57. ^ European Glass in the J. Paul Getty Museum: Catalogue of the Collections
  58. ^ Toso 2000, p. 109
  59. ^ Madden 2012, p. Ch. 17 of e-book
  60. ^ a b "Authenticity of Venetian Glass Sometimes Tough to Distinguish". Capital Entertainment (Annapolis, Maryland). 1998-09-11. p. 15.  
  61. ^ a b "A Comparison of Earlier and Later Venetian Glass – A Question of Continuity". Corning Museum of Glass. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  62. ^ Edwards, Sommerfield & National Gallery of Victoria 1998, p. 150
  63. ^ a b Janssens 2011, p. 26
  64. ^ a b Janssens 2011, p. 528
  65. ^ a b Janssens 2011, p. 524
  66. ^ a b Janssens 2011, p. 523
  67. ^ Janssens 2011, pp. 531–532
  68. ^ Janssens 2011, p. 526
  69. ^ Mentasti 1997, p. 188
  70. ^ "The Glass Lexicon". Paul Engle (author of book Conciatore). Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  71. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 48
  72. ^ Dorigato 2003, p. 31
  73. ^ "Tools of the Glassmaker". Corning Museum of Glass. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  74. ^ Gable 2004, p. 44
  75. ^ a b Hooper, John (2012-01-30). "Glassmakers of Murano Fight to Survive Influx of Cheap Imitations". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
  76. ^ "Venetian Glass Beads Found in Arctic Alaska Predate Arrival of Columbus". Sci-News. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  77. ^ Geggel, Laura (11 February 2021). "European beads found in Alaska predate Columbus, controversial study claims". livescience.com. Live Science. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  78. ^ Blair, Elliot H. (July 2021). "Reconsidering the Precolumbian Presence of Venetian Glass Beads in Alaska". American Antiquity. 86 (3): 638–642. doi:10.1017/aaq.2021.38. ISSN 0002-7316. S2CID 236162517. Retrieved 19 January 2022.

References Edit

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  • Hess, Catherine; Husband, Timothy; J. Paul Getty Museum (1997). European Glass in the J. Paul Getty Museum. Los Angeles: The Museum. ISBN 978-0-89236-255-4. OCLC 36549048.
  • Janssens, Koen H. A. (2011). Modern Methods for Analyzing Archaeological and Historical Glass. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Inc. ISBN 978-1-11831-420-3. OCLC 1042124312.
  • Madden, Thomas F. (2012). Venice: A New History. New York: Viking Penguin. ISBN 978-1-10160-113-6.
  • McCray, W. Patrick (2017). Glassmaking in Renaissance Venice: The Fragile Craft. Taylor & Francis Ltd. ISBN 978-0-75460-050-3.
  • Mentasti, Rosa Barovier (1997). Venetian Glass: 1890-1990. Venice: Arsenale Editrice. p. 207. ISBN 978-8-87743-119-6. OCLC 232969210.
  • Moore, N. Hudson (1935). Old Glass – European and American. New York: Tudor Publishing Co. p. 394. OCLC 1189068.
  • Osborne, Harold (ed), The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts, 1975, OUP, ISBN 0198661134
  • Page, Jutta-Annette; Doménech, Ignasi (2004). Beyond Venice: Glass in Venetian Style, 1500-1750. New York: Corning Museum of Glass. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-87290-157-5. OCLC 55110404.
  • Sauzay, Alexandre (1870). Marvels of Glass-Making in All Ages. London: S. Low, Son, and Marston. pp. 272. OCLC 5207106.
  • Shotwell, David J. (2002). Glass A to Z. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 638. ISBN 978-0-87349-385-7. OCLC 440702171.
  • Syson, Luke; Thornton, Dora (2001). Objects of Virtue : Art in Renaissance Italy. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-89236-657-6. OCLC 264966212.
  • Toso, Gianfranco (2000). Murano : A History of Glass. Antique Collectors Club Limited. p. 191. ISBN 978-8-87743-215-5. OCLC 449936626.
  • United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce (1917). Commerce Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce. OCLC 16914088.
  • Warmus, William; Oldknow, Tina (2020). Venice and American Studio Glass. Milan: Skira.
  • Zerwick, Chloe (1990). A Short History of Glass. New York: H.N. Abrams in association with the Corning Museum of Glass. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-81093-801-4. OCLC 20220721.

Further reading Edit

  • Barovier, Marino; Sonego, Carla (2004). Venetian Art Glass: An American Collection, 1840-1970. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche. p. 352. ISBN 978-3-89790-205-3. OCLC 56447139.
  • Heiremans, Marc (2002). Murano Glass: Themes and Variations. Stuttgart: Arnold. p. 223. ISBN 978-3-89790-163-6. OCLC 248786059.
  • McFadden, David Revere; Barovier, Marino; Frantz, Susan K. (2001). Venetian Glass. New York: American Craft Museum. pp. 249. ISBN 978-1-89038-505-7. OCLC 123123380.
  • Panini, Augusto (2017). The World in a Bead. The Murano Glass Museum's Collection. Antiga Edizioni. p. 375. ISBN 978-8-89965-790-1. OCLC 1001512112.
  • Piña, Leslie (2004). Fratelli Toso: Italian Glass 1854-1980. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Shiffer Pub. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-76432-026-2.
  • Piña, Leslie (2007). Archimede Seguso: Lace and Stone: Mid-Mod Glass from Murano. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Shiffer Pub. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-76432-661-5. OCLC 74029385.
  • Sonego, Carla (2017). Paolo Venini and His Furnace. Milano: Skira Editore. p. 532. ISBN 978-8-85723-354-3. OCLC 1003587576.

External links Edit

  • Corning Museum of Glass - The Rise of Venetian Glassmaking
  • List of glass factories on Murano
  • Muranoglass.com
  • Murano Glass Museum (English language)
  • Primary processing
  • Promovetro Consortium
  • YouTube Video: The art of Murano glass
  • Murano glass in the 20th century
  • Knowledge about original Murano glass, history, heritage, working technique
  • Murano Glass tools

venetian, glass, italian, vetro, veneziano, glassware, made, venice, typically, island, murano, near, city, traditionally, made, with, soda, lime, metal, typically, elaborately, decorated, with, various, glass, forming, techniques, well, gilding, enamel, engra. Venetian glass Italian vetro veneziano is glassware made in Venice typically on the island of Murano near the city Traditionally it is made with a soda lime metal and is typically elaborately decorated with various hot glass forming techniques as well as gilding enamel or engraving Production has been concentrated on the Venetian island of Murano since the 13th century Today Murano is known for its art glass but it has a long history of innovations in glassmaking in addition to its artistic fame and was Europe s major center for luxury glass from the High Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance During the 15th century Murano glassmakers created cristallo which was almost transparent and considered the finest glass in the world Murano glassmakers also developed a white colored glass milk glass called lattimo that looked like porcelain They later became Europe s finest makers of mirrors Murano vase around 1600 Hermitage MuseumDecorated bowl from Murano c 1870During the Early Middle Ages Venice was originally controlled by the Eastern Roman Empire before eventually becoming an independent city state It flourished as a trading center and seaport in the High Middle Ages Its connections with the Middle East helped its glassmakers gain additional skills as glassmaking was more advanced in areas such as Syria and Egypt Although Venetian glassmaking in factories existed as far back as the eighth century it became concentrated in Murano by law beginning in 1291 since glass factories often caught fire this removed much of the possibility of a major fire disaster for the city Venetian glassmakers developed secret recipes and methods for making glass and the concentration of Venice s glassmaking on the island of Murano enabled better control of those secrets Murano became Europe s luxury glassmaking center peaking in popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries Venice s dominance in trade along the Mediterranean created a wealthy merchant class that was a strong connoisseur of the arts This helped establish demand for art glass and more innovations The spread of glassmaking talent in Europe eventually diminished the importance of Venice and its Murano glassmakers The occupation and dissolution of the Venetian state by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797 caused more hardship for Murano s glassmaking industry Murano glassmaking began a revival in the 1920s Today Murano and Venice are tourist attractions and Murano is home to numerous glass factories and a few individual artists studios Its Museo del Vetro Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian contains displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day Contents 1 Middle Ages 1 1 Island of Murano 2 Major products and innovations 2 1 Aventurine 2 2 Beads 2 3 Calcedonio 2 4 Chandeliers 2 5 Cristallo 2 6 Filigrana 2 7 Lattimo 2 8 Millefiori 2 9 Mirrors 2 10 Murrine 2 11 Sommerso 3 Golden age decline and revival 4 Making glass 4 1 Tools 5 Today 5 1 Alaska 6 See also 7 Notes 7 1 Footnotes 7 2 Citations 7 3 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksMiddle Ages EditSee also Republic of Venice nbsp Venice and MuranoThe Venetian city state grew during the decline of the Roman Empire in the fifth century as people fled the barbarian invasions to the safety of islands in the Venetian Lagoon Small communities grew in the lagoon among which Venice eventually became the most prominent The city of Venice became a highly successful trading port and by the inception of the 11th century dominated trade between Europe North Africa and the Middle East It also had a strong navy Many European Crusaders passed through Venice on their way to and from the Holy Land Treasures of many kinds were bought and sold in Venice spices precious metals gemstones ivory silks and glass Successful trade bred a wealthy merchant class in addition to the nobles and the wealthy became patrons of Venice s famous art and architecture 1 It is thought that glass production in Venice began as early as around 450 as glassmakers from Aquileia fled to the islands to escape barbarian invaders Note 1 The earliest archaeological evidence of a glass factory in the area comes from the Venetian lagoon island of Torcello and dates from the seventh or eighth century 5 The original Venetian glassmakers were joined by glassmakers from Byzantium and from the Middle East which enriched their glassmaking knowledge 4 Glass was made in the Middle East long before it was made in Europe though Ancient Roman glass made in Italy Germany and elsewhere could be extremely sophisticated Note 2 Early products included beads glass for mosaics jewelry small mirrors and window glass 8 Venetian glassmaking grew in importance to the city s economy Around 1271 the local glassmakers guild made rules to help preserve glassmaking secrets It was forbidden to divulge trade secrets outside of Venice If a glassworker left the city without permission he would be ordered to return Note 3 If he failed to return his family would be imprisoned If he still did not return an assassin would be sent to kill him Additional rules specified ingredients used for making glass and the type of wood used as fuel for the furnaces 10 Island of Murano Edit nbsp The Doge visits MuranoA law dated November 8 1291 confined most of Venice s glassmaking industry to the island of Murano 11 Murano is actually a cluster of islands linked by short bridges located less than 2 kilometres 1 2 mi north of the Venetian mainland in the Venetian lagoon Note 4 The furnaces used to make molten glass were a fire hazard especially in cities with wooden structures nearby Moving the glassmaking industry to Murano removed the threat of a disastrous fire in Venice The move also kept the technology of glassmaking and the glassmakers confined to Murano This prevented the spread of Venetian glassmaking expertise to potential competitors Glassmakers were not allowed to leave the island without permission from the government Leaving without permission or revealing trade secrets was punishable by death Locating the industry on a single island also made it easier for the government to monitor imports and exports 13 Murano in the 1200s was a summer resort where the aristocrats of Venice built villas with orchards and gardens It took about an hour to row a boat from Venice to Murano 15 Although the glassmakers could not leave the island the nobles had no such constraints Despite their travel restrictions the glassmakers lived on a beautiful island were under the direct rule of Venice s Council of Ten the Venetian state security committee and had extra privileges 16 They did not work during the hot summer during which furnace repair and maintenance was performed 17 During the 1300s the annual summer vacation lasted five months 18 In the 1400s the Venetian government shortened the summer vacation to three and a half months 19 Murano glassmakers sometimes complained they were not working enough Note 5 Glassmakers also enjoyed heightened social status On December 22 1376 it was announced that if a glassmaker s daughter married a nobleman there was no forfeiture of social class so their children were nobles 21 Major products and innovations Edit nbsp Carafes containing aventurine glass threadThe Venetian glassmakers of Murano are known for many innovations and refinements to glassmaking Among them are Murano beads cristallo lattimo chandeliers and mirrors 13 Additional refinements or creations are goldstone multicolored glass millefiori and imitation gemstones made of glass 22 In addition to guarding their secret processes and glass recipes Venetian Murano glassmakers strived for beauty with their glass 23 Aventurine Edit Aventurine glass also known as goldstone glass is translucent brownish with metallic copper specks It was developed by Venetian glassmakers in the early 15th century 24 It is first cited in historical documents in 1626 25 The name aventurine is used because it was discovered accidentally 25 Beads Edit nbsp Millefiori beadsGlass beads a k a Murano beads were made by the Venetians beginning in the 1200s The beads were used as rosary beads and jewelry They were also popular in Africa Christopher Columbus noted that the people of the New World Native Americans were delighted with the beads as gifts and beads became popular with American Indians 26 Calcedonio Edit Calcedonio is a marbled glass that looked like the semiprecious stone chalcedony 27 This type of glass was created during the 1400s by Angelo Barovier who is considered Murano s greatest glassmaker 28 Barovier was an expert glassblower revived enameling and also worked with colored glass His family had been involved with glassmaking since at least 1331 and the family continued in the business after his death 29 He died in 1460 Note 6 Chandeliers Edit During the 1700s Giuseppe Briati was famous for his work with ornamented mirrors and chandeliers 23 Briati s chandelier style was called ciocche literally bouquet of flowers Briati s typical chandelier was large with multiple arms decorated with garlands flowers and leaves One of the common uses of the huge Murano chandeliers was interior lighting for theatres and important rooms in palaces Briati was born in Murano in 1686 and his family s business was glassmaking He was allowed to work in a Bohemian glass factory where he learned the secrets of working with Bohemian crystal which was becoming more popular than Murano cristallo In 1739 the Council of Ten allowed him to move his furnace from Murano to Venice because his work had caused such jealousy that he and his workers feared for their lives His father had been stabbed to death in 1701 32 Briati retired in 1762 and his nephew became manager of the glass works Briati died in Venice in 1772 and is buried in Murano 33 Cristallo Edit nbsp Enameled cristallo stem glass around 1500Cristallo is a soda glass created during the 15th century by Murano s Angelo Barovier Note 7 The oldest reference to cristallo is dated May 24 1453 9 At the time cristallo was considered Europe s clearest glass and is one of the main reasons Murano became the most important glass center 13 The name arose because it looked like rock crystal or clear quartz which had long been carved into various types of vessels and small hardstone carvings 36 Rock crystal was said to have magical qualities and in the Middle Ages was often used in Christian religious objects Cristallo became very popular 31 This type of glass was fragile and difficult to cut but it could be enameled and engraved 37 Manganese dioxide a de coloring agent 36 was a key ingredient in the secret formula used to make cristallo 8 An easy modification to cristallo made in Murano was to produce a frosted or crackle version 38 The use of crystal as a marketing term for glass has continued into modern times though for at least the last century it has normally meant lead crystal glass of the type developed by Ravenscroft Cristallo could be made extremely thin thus reducing the remaining hint of color and the Venetians usually made clear pieces this way 36 Filigrana Edit nbsp Filigree style jarThe filigrana a k a filigree style was developed in Murano in the 1500s By embedding glass canes usually white but not always in colorless glass the glassware has a striped appearance Vetro a fili has straight white stripes vetro a retortoli has twisted or spiral patterns and vetro a reticello has two sets of lines twisted in opposite directions Francesco Zeno has been mentioned as the inventor of vetro a retortoli 39 Lattimo Edit nbsp Enameled lattimo glassLattimo or milk glass began being made in Murano during the 15th century and Angelo Barovier is credited with its re discovery and development 40 This glass is opaque white and was meant to resemble enameled porcelain 41 It was often decorated with enamel showing sacred scenes or views of Venice 42 Millefiori Edit nbsp Millefiori bowl circa 1870sMain article Millefiori Millefiori glass is a variation of the murrine technique made from colored canes in clear glass and is often arranged in flower like patterns The Italian word millefiori means thousand flowers 24 This technique was perfected in Alexandria Egypt and began being used in Murano in the 15th century 43 Mirrors Edit Small mirrors were made in Murano beginning in the 1500s and mirror makers had their own guild beginning in 1569 44 Murano mirrors were known for the artwork on the frame that held the mirror in addition to their quality 44 By the 1600s Murano mirrors were in great demand However by the end of the century English made mirrors had the best quality Only one glass house in Murano was still making mirrors by 1772 45 Murrine Edit Murrine technique begins with the layering of colored liquid glass heated to 1 040 C 1 900 F which is then stretched into long rods called canes When cooled these canes are then sliced in cross sections which reveals the layered pattern Ercole Barovier a descendant of Murano s greatest glassmaker Angelo Barovier won numerous awards during the 1940s and 1950s for his innovations using the murrine technique 46 Sommerso Edit Sommerso submerged in Italian is a form of artistic Murano glass that has layers of different colors typically two which are formed by dipping colored glass into another molten glass and then blowing the combination into a desired shape The outermost layer or casing is often clear Sommerso was developed in Murano during the late 1930s Flavio Poli was known for using this technique and it was made popular by Seguso Vetri d Arte and the Mandruzzato family in the 1950s This process is a popular technique for vases and is sometimes used for sculptures 46 Golden age decline and revival EditSee also Fall of the Republic of Venice nbsp Barovier enameled glassThe 16th century was the golden age for Venetian glassmaking in Murano Major trading partners included the Spanish Indies Italy Spain Ottoman Turkey and the German speaking states 47 At least 28 glassmaking furnaces were in Murano in 1581 48 Numerous leaders and dignitaries visited Murano during this century including the queen of France dukes princes generals cardinals archbishops and ambassadors 49 Collectors of Murano glass included Henry VIII of England Pope Clement VII King Ferdinand of Hungary Francis I of France and Philip II of Spain 50 During the 16th century Murano glassmakers liberated themselves from the imitation of metalwork shapes which had previously been their habit Shapes became elongated and elegant then more elaborate and inclining to fantasy for example in the hot work pieces added to the sides of the stems of glasses The glass was extremely thin and therefore fragile adding to the effect of luxury 36 In 1612 the Florentine priest Antonio Neri published L Arte Vetraria The Art of Glass which revealed all the secrets of Venetian glass production to the outside world 51 and by the later 16th century the efforts of the Venetian Republic to hold on to its virtual monopoly in the production of luxury glass mainly by keeping skilled workers in the republic were beginning to fail Other countries often led by their monarchs were keen to have their own fine glass industries and tempted skilled workers away This led to a diffusion of the Venetian style to many centres around Europe The glass made in this movement is called facon de Venise French for Venetian style the quality is typically rather lower than the Venetian originals partly from difficulties sourcing the right materials and the place of manufacture is often hard to discern Engraved glass was a part of this diffusion and initially was especially developed in Germany 52 Eventually the dominance of cristallo came to an end In 1673 English glass merchant George Ravenscroft created a clear glass he called crystalline but it was not stable Three years later he improved this glass by adding lead oxide and lead glass a k a crystal was created 53 Ravenscroft who had lived for many years in Venice made lead crystal that was less breakable than cristallo 54 In 1674 Bohemian glassmaker Louis le Vasseur d Ossimont 1629 1689 made crystal that was similar to Ravenscroft s 55 In 1678 Johan Friedrich Kunkel von Lowenstein produced a cristallo like glass in Potsdam 56 The Bohemian and Prussian style glass was later modified by the addition of lime and chalk This new glass is attributed to Bohemian glassmaker Michael Muller in 1683 56 It had a tendency to crizzle at first but the problem had been solved by 1714 57 The Bohemian glass was not suitable to the Murano style artwork on the glass However this harder glass was produced as a thicker glass suitable for glass engraving and grinding The Bohemian and English glass eventually became more popular than cristallo made in Murano 56 By the 1700s Murano glass was traded mostly with Italian states and the Turkish empire Small quantities were traded with England Flanders the Netherlands and Spain 58 Napoleon conquered Venice during May 1797 and the Venetian Republic came to an end 59 The fall of the Venetian Republic caused hard times for glassmaking in Murano and some of the Murano methods became lost Controlled by France and Austria Venetian glassmaking became unprofitable because of tariffs and taxes and glassmakers that survived were reduced to making mostly beads 60 Napoleon closed the Venetian glass factories in 1807 although simple glassware and beadmaking continued 61 In the 1830s outsiders tried to revive the industry 23 However it was not until Venice became part of Italy in 1866 that Murano glassmaking could experience a revival 60 Around that time local leaders such as Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti founder of the Murano Glass Museum along with the Murano factory owners began reinventing the earlier Murano techniques for making glass 61 Antonio Salviati a Venetian lawyer who gave up his profession in 1859 in order to devote his time to glassmaking also had an important role in the revival of glassmaking in Murano 62 Making glass EditSee also Glass coloring and color marking nbsp Glassmaking tools holding a glass horse being shapedFrom its beginning until the fall of the Venetian Republic Murano glass was mostly a very high quality soda lime glass using today s terminology that had extra attention focused on its appearance Glass from that time typically contained 65 to 70 percent silica 63 A flux usually soda sodium oxide as 10 to 20 percent of the glass composition was added to enable the silica to melt at a lower temperature A stabilizer usually lime calcium oxide as about 10 percent of the glass was also added for durability and to prevent solubility in water Small quantities of other ingredients were added to the glass mostly to affect appearance 64 Sand is a common source for silica For certain types of glass the Murano glassmakers used quartz as their source for silica Quartz pebbles were crushed into a fine powder Two sources for sand were Crete and Sicily Quartz pebbles were selected from the Ticino and Adige rivers in Northern Italy 65 Their source for soda was what they called allume catina plant ash found in the eastern Mediterranean countries of the Middle East 63 Beginning in the 16th century allume catina was also imported from Mediterranean coastal regions of Spain and France 65 The mixing and melting of the batch of ingredients was a two stage process First nearly equal amounts of silica and flux were continuously stirred in a special furnace The furnace was called a calchera furnace and the mix was called fritta In the second stage the fritta was mixed with selected recycled waste glass cullet and melted in another furnace 66 Depending on the type and color of glass other additives were used Lead and tin were added for white opaque glass latimo Cobalt was used for blue glass Copper and iron were used for green and for various shades of green blue and yellow 67 Manganese was used to remove colors 68 Although natural gas is the furnace fuel of choice for glassmaking today the fuel mandated in Murano during the 13th century was alder and willow wood 5 During this second stage the surface of the molten glass was skimmed to remove undesirable chemicals that affected the appearance of the glass 66 Additional techniques were used as glassmaking evolved To improve clarity molten glass was put in water and then re melted Another technique was to purify the flux by boiling and filtering 64 Tools Edit The Venetian glassmakers had a set of tools that changed little for hundreds of years A ferro sbuso also called a canna da soffio is the blowpipe essential for extracting molten glass and beginning the shaping process 69 Note 8 A borselle is a tong like tool of various sizes used to shape glass that has not hardened A borselle puntata is a similar tool only it has a pattern that can be imprinted on the glass 71 A pontello is the pontil an iron rod that holds the glass while work is done on the edge of the glass 19 A tagianti is a large scissors used to cut glass before it has hardened A scagno is the workbench used by the glassmaker 72 Good tools are nice but good hands are better is an old Murano saying that reinforces the idea that the glassmakers of Murano rely on their skills instead of any advantage caused by special tools 73 Today Edit nbsp nbsp Modern Murano glass Some of Venice s historical glass factories in Murano remain well known brands today including De Biasi Gabbiani Venini Salviati Barovier amp Toso Pauly Berengo Studio Seguso Formia International Simone Cenedese Alessandro Mandruzzato Vetreria Ducale Estevan Rossetto 1950 and others The oldest glass factory is Antica Vetreria Fratelli Toso founded in 1854 74 Overall the industry has been shrinking as demand has waned Imitation works recognizable by experts but not by the typical tourist from Asia and Eastern Europe take an estimated 40 to 45 percent of the market for Murano glass and public tastes have changed while the designs in Murano have largely stayed the same To fight the imitation problem a group of companies and concerned individuals created a trademark in 1994 that certifies that the product was made on Murano By 2012 about 50 companies were using the Artistic Glass Murano trademark of origin 75 Glassmaking is a difficult and uncomfortable profession as glassmakers must work with a product heated to extremely high temperatures Unlike 500 years ago children of glassmakers do not enjoy any special privileges extra wealth or marriage into nobility Today it is difficult to recruit young glassmakers Foreign imitations and difficulty attracting young workers caused the number of professional glassmakers in Murano to decrease from about 6 000 in 1990 to fewer than 1 000 by 2012 75 Alaska Edit In February 2021 Venetian glass trade beads were announced to have been found at three prehistoric Eskimo sites in Alaska including Punyik Point Uninhabited today and located a mile from the Continental Divide in the Brooks Range the area was on ancient trade routes from the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean The researchers believed the likely route these artifacts traveled from their creation in Venice was across Europe then Eurasia and finally over the Bering Strait making this discovery the first documented instance of the presence of indubitable European materials in prehistoric sites in the western hemisphere as the result of overland transport across the Eurasian continent From radiocarbon dating materials found near the beads archaeologists estimated their arrival on the continent to sometime between 1440 and 1480 predating Christopher Columbus 76 The dating and provenance has however been challenged by other researchers who point out that such beads were first made in Venice in the mid 16th century and that an early 17th century French origin is also possible 77 78 See also EditCaneworking Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia Millefleur Murano Glass Museum Murrine Made in ItalyNotes EditFootnotes Edit There are two main theories about the beginning of Venetian glassmaking One is that glassmaking began as glassmakers from Aquileia arrived after fleeing barbarian invasions during the fifth century 2 A 19th century author credits Italian writers Carlo Marin and the Count Filiasi for this idea 3 Shotwell supports this theory and uses the year 450 as the approximate start date 4 A second theory is that Venetian glassmaking developed from Venetian interaction and trade with the Levant Eastern Mediterranean 2 Janssens says that similarities in techniques and forms between Venetian glass and Byzantine and Islamic glass are evident 2 The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is considered the birthplace of glassmaking Glass was made there before 2000 B C 6 Glass was made in Syria as far back as 1700 B C and around 100 B C the Syrians started glassblowing 7 While the Murano glassmakers were typically men records exist beginning in the 1400s of women working in the manufacture of glass in Murano A record from 1446 describes the employment of a woman who decorated glass and worked for Salvatore Barovier 9 Dugan and Shotwell describe Murano as a group of small islands connected by bridges 12 13 The official Murano glass shop says Murano is 1 5 kilometres 0 93 mi from Venice 14 In the 1540s the Murano glassmakers were unhappy with the 35 week work year complaining that they did not get enough time to work contrary to typical complaints of too much work 20 At least three authors agree that Angelo Barovier died in 1460 9 30 The date of his birth is less certain but is said to be around 1400 31 Angelo Barovier is generally credited with creating cristallo and was definitely making it in 1455 34 One set of authors believes that cristallo was an incremental development that stretched over nearly two centuries 35 They speculate that Barovier perfected the soda ash purification process used for cristallo and also discovered the stabilizer 35 Ferro sbuso comes from the Muranese language where adding an S at the beginning of a noun substantive turns it into a verb or an adjective 70 Citations Edit Zerwick 1990 p 49 a b c Janssens 2011 p 520 Sauzay 1870 p 20 a b Shotwell 2002 p 586 a b Toso 2000 p 25 Shotwell 2002 p 343 Shotwell 2002 p 546 a b Shotwell 2002 p 587 a b c Toso 2000 p 46 Shotwell 2002 pp 586 587 United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 1917 p 789 Dugan 2019 p 123 a b c d Shotwell 2002 p 366 Murano Island MuranoGlassItaly MuranoGlassItaly Store 7 May 2017 Retrieved 2020 02 01 Zerwick 1990 pp 49 50 Moore 1935 p 31 Dillon 1907 p 182 Toso 2000 p 37 a b Toso 2000 p 45 Moore 1935 p 33 Toso 2000 p 40 Geary 2008 p 202 a b c Ancient and Modern Venetian Glass of Murano Harper s New Monthly Magazine New York Harper and Brothers 1882 01 01 Retrieved 2018 09 26 a b Shotwell 2002 p 24 a b Toso 2000 p 97 Zerwick 1990 pp 50 51 Hess Husband amp J Paul Getty Museum 1997 p 90 Chambers et al 1999 p 21 McCray 2017 chapter 5 of e book Shotwell 2002 p 30 a b Chambers et al 1999 p 22 Toso 2000 pp 122 124 Toso 2000 p 127 Moore 1935 p 37 a b Syson amp Thornton 2001 p 186 a b c d Osborne 398 Shotwell 2002 p 110 Dillon 1907 p 203 Page amp Domenech 2004 p 18 Hess Husband amp J Paul Getty Museum 1997 p 73 Shotwell 2002 p 294 Fuga 2006 p 257 Fuga 2006 p 282 a b Shotwell 2002 p 351 Moore 1935 p 48 a b 1950s Glassware Reflects Distinct Era Annapolis Capital 1999 02 19 p 123 nbsp Toso 2000 p 61 Toso 2000 p 62 Toso 2000 p 64 Toso 2000 p 66 Deconstructing Glass and Building up Shards at the Early Royal Society Battie amp Cottle 68 71 77 Toso 2000 p 102 Zerwick 1990 p 65 Toso 2000 p 103 a b c Toso 2000 p 105 European Glass in the J Paul Getty Museum Catalogue of the Collections Toso 2000 p 109 Madden 2012 p Ch 17 of e book a b Authenticity of Venetian Glass Sometimes Tough to Distinguish Capital Entertainment Annapolis Maryland 1998 09 11 p 15 nbsp a b A Comparison of Earlier and Later Venetian Glass A Question of Continuity Corning Museum of Glass Retrieved 2018 09 28 Edwards Sommerfield amp National Gallery of Victoria 1998 p 150 a b Janssens 2011 p 26 a b Janssens 2011 p 528 a b Janssens 2011 p 524 a b Janssens 2011 p 523 Janssens 2011 pp 531 532 Janssens 2011 p 526 Mentasti 1997 p 188 The Glass Lexicon Paul Engle author of book Conciatore Retrieved 2021 11 25 Shotwell 2002 p 48 Dorigato 2003 p 31 Tools of the Glassmaker Corning Museum of Glass Retrieved 2018 09 30 Gable 2004 p 44 a b Hooper John 2012 01 30 Glassmakers of Murano Fight to Survive Influx of Cheap Imitations The Guardian Retrieved 2018 09 03 Venetian Glass Beads Found in Arctic Alaska Predate Arrival of Columbus Sci News 16 February 2021 Retrieved 18 February 2021 Geggel Laura 11 February 2021 European beads found in Alaska predate Columbus controversial study claims livescience com Live Science Retrieved 19 January 2022 Blair Elliot H July 2021 Reconsidering the Precolumbian Presence of Venetian Glass Beads in Alaska American Antiquity 86 3 638 642 doi 10 1017 aaq 2021 38 ISSN 0002 7316 S2CID 236162517 Retrieved 19 January 2022 References Edit Battie David and Cottle Simon eds Sotheby s Concise Encyclopedia of Glass 1991 Conran Octopus ISBN 1850296545 Chambers Karen S Oldknow Tina Ft Wayne Museum of Art Tampa Museum of Art 1999 Clearly Inspired Contemporary Glass and Its Origins San Francisco Pomegranate p 134 ISBN 978 0 76490 932 0 OCLC 1008387303 Dillon Edward 1907 Glass London Methuen and Co pp 373 OCLC 1809307 Dorigato Attilia 2003 Murano Island of Glass Arsenale Editrice IT ISBN 978 8 87743 293 3 OCLC 156146832 Dugan James 2019 Capturing Venice Walkabout photo guides Edwards Geoffery Sommerfield Garry National Gallery of Victoria 1998 Art of Glass Glass in the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria South Melbourne Macmillan p 208 ISBN 978 0 95857 431 0 OCLC 1008129059 Fuga Antonella 2006 Artists techniques and materials Los Angeles J Paul Getty Museum p 384 ISBN 978 0 89236 860 0 OCLC 64486684 Gable Carl I 2004 Murano Magic Complete Guide to Venetian Glass Its History and Artists Atglen Pennsylvania Schiffer Pub ISBN 978 0 76431 946 4 OCLC 53361383 Geary Theresa Flores 2008 The Illustrated Bead Bible New York Sterling ISBN 978 1 4027 2353 7 Hess Catherine Husband Timothy J Paul Getty Museum 1997 European Glass in the J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles The Museum ISBN 978 0 89236 255 4 OCLC 36549048 Janssens Koen H A 2011 Modern Methods for Analyzing Archaeological and Historical Glass Chichester West Sussex United Kingdom John Wiley amp Sons Inc ISBN 978 1 11831 420 3 OCLC 1042124312 Madden Thomas F 2012 Venice A New History New York Viking Penguin ISBN 978 1 10160 113 6 McCray W Patrick 2017 Glassmaking in Renaissance Venice The Fragile Craft Taylor amp Francis Ltd ISBN 978 0 75460 050 3 Mentasti Rosa Barovier 1997 Venetian Glass 1890 1990 Venice Arsenale Editrice p 207 ISBN 978 8 87743 119 6 OCLC 232969210 Moore N Hudson 1935 Old Glass European and American New York Tudor Publishing Co p 394 OCLC 1189068 Osborne Harold ed The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts 1975 OUP ISBN 0198661134 Page Jutta Annette Domenech Ignasi 2004 Beyond Venice Glass in Venetian Style 1500 1750 New York Corning Museum of Glass p 339 ISBN 978 0 87290 157 5 OCLC 55110404 Sauzay Alexandre 1870 Marvels of Glass Making in All Ages London S Low Son and Marston pp 272 OCLC 5207106 Shotwell David J 2002 Glass A to Z Iola Wisconsin Krause Publications pp 638 ISBN 978 0 87349 385 7 OCLC 440702171 Syson Luke Thornton Dora 2001 Objects of Virtue Art in Renaissance Italy Los Angeles J Paul Getty Museum p 288 ISBN 978 0 89236 657 6 OCLC 264966212 Toso Gianfranco 2000 Murano A History of Glass Antique Collectors Club Limited p 191 ISBN 978 8 87743 215 5 OCLC 449936626 United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 1917 Commerce Report Washington D C U S Department of Commerce OCLC 16914088 Warmus William Oldknow Tina 2020 Venice and American Studio Glass Milan Skira Zerwick Chloe 1990 A Short History of Glass New York H N Abrams in association with the Corning Museum of Glass p 112 ISBN 978 0 81093 801 4 OCLC 20220721 Further reading EditBarovier Marino Sonego Carla 2004 Venetian Art Glass An American Collection 1840 1970 Stuttgart Arnoldsche p 352 ISBN 978 3 89790 205 3 OCLC 56447139 Heiremans Marc 2002 Murano Glass Themes and Variations Stuttgart Arnold p 223 ISBN 978 3 89790 163 6 OCLC 248786059 McFadden David Revere Barovier Marino Frantz Susan K 2001 Venetian Glass New York American Craft Museum pp 249 ISBN 978 1 89038 505 7 OCLC 123123380 Panini Augusto 2017 The World in a Bead The Murano Glass Museum s Collection Antiga Edizioni p 375 ISBN 978 8 89965 790 1 OCLC 1001512112 Pina Leslie 2004 Fratelli Toso Italian Glass 1854 1980 Atglen Pennsylvania Shiffer Pub p 224 ISBN 978 0 76432 026 2 Pina Leslie 2007 Archimede Seguso Lace and Stone Mid Mod Glass from Murano Atglen Pennsylvania Shiffer Pub p 223 ISBN 978 0 76432 661 5 OCLC 74029385 Sonego Carla 2017 Paolo Venini and His Furnace Milano Skira Editore p 532 ISBN 978 8 85723 354 3 OCLC 1003587576 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Venetian glassware A History of Murano Glass Corning Museum of Glass The Rise of Venetian Glassmaking The Heart of Venice International Competition for Ideas List of glass factories on Murano Muranoglass com Murano Glass Museum English language Primary processing Promovetro Consortium YouTube Video The art of Murano glass Murano glass in the 20th century Knowledge about original Murano glass history heritage working technique Murano Glass tools Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Venetian glass amp oldid 1177156985, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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