Murano glass explained in few minutes

Murano is a small island located in the lagoon of Venice, we explain the essential to know about its specialty: the Glass Art.

The story :

The work of glass in Venice dates back to the VIIIth century thanks to a know-how brought originally by the Egyptians, then developed by the Byzantines who had fled Constantinople.

The furnaces of the craftsmen glassmakers having caused fires in the city, a decree of the thirteenth century obliges them to settle more apart on the small island of Murano. This is where the real story begins, this transfer will preserve a carefully preserved manufacturing secret. The Venetians, masters of commerce in the Middle Ages, quickly radiate throughout Europe the magic of this unique glass.

This activity was highly regulated, it brought certain privileges to the glassmakers, but forbade them in return to go to work elsewhere. The little story even says that the "deserters" were hunted down and murdered by special agents of the Venetian state. All the courts of Europe ordered and loved luxurious objects made in Murano such as glasses, jewels, vases, mirrors and chandeliers. They dreamed of unraveling the secret of its manufacture in order to be able to reproduce them in their country.

Murano glass reached its peak between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries when was discovered the technique that made it possible to colour the glass paste, opening the door to an infinite wealth of creation. But in 1805, when the Republic of Venice fell under the control of the Austrian Empire, the Bohemian crystal took precedence over Murano’s glassmaking art and production continued to decline. Murano was almost forgotten until the early 1900s, when a stylistic revival, notably with Art Nouveau and Art Deco, brought back to the light the objects from its ovens.

Today, master glassmakers create pieces with contemporary lines that are always as luxurious and sought after by art lovers. But Asian reproductions at low cost and of lower quality have harmed millenary craft production. Originally there were about 300 kilns on the island, but only about fifteen are still in operation.

The technique :

First of all, in Murano it is only glass and never crystal because lead is strictly forbidden in its formulation. Since the purpose of lead is to increase the transparency of the glass and to remove small air bubbles, the primary characteristic of Murano glass is therefore precisely to never be perfectly translucent and to contain small bubbles.

The manufacturing techniques are transmitted from father to son and the parts are always made by hand, either blown or spun. Thus each piece is unique and can present irregularities and asymmetries, a guarantee of a totally artisanal work.

The glass is made of silica sand, sodium carbonate, limestone and arsenic. The glass powder fuses at 1500°C where it becomes liquid and then, when cooled, the glass takes a pasty consistency allowing its shaping. The craftsman can either blow the glass or shape it like a sculptor. A blown object has a characteristic mark left by the chisel that separates it from the cane of the blower: it is the Pontil.

The glass of Murano is known above all for its multiple colors, it is the glass paste which is directly tinted in the mass letting the light pass through it like a precious stone. The colours are obtained by adding small quantities of minerals, oxides and chemical derivatives to the glass powder.

Gold or silver particles can be added to the glass paste to give an elegant glitter effect to the final object. It is a complex tour de main that can only be achieved by very experienced master glassmakers.

One of the methods peculiar to Murano consists in the manufacture of fine glass rods of various colors that can be combined to form true colorful patchwork, it is the millefiori. But there are nearly a hundred different techniques of Murano’s glass art, such as crystals, enamel, gold thread trimmings, milk glass (lattimo), and imitation of precious glass stones ...

On the site of Kitchen Brocante, you can browse glasses created in the early twentieth century, inspired by the Renaissance style with an elongated line and a rich ornamentation. Each piece is a masterpiece. You can discover them here, and now that you know a little more about Murano, appreciate all their singularities.

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