The Murano glass

The legend says that in 77 A.D. a few Phoenician merchants, stranded on the Mediterranean coast, in order to light a fire used some of the blocks of "Natron" (soda)stocked in the ship. These blocks, due to the heat, melted together with the sand of the beach changing into streams of a transparent, yet solid material.

As a matter of fact, the discovery of glass dates back to an even remoter period than the age of Phoenicians: indeed, this material was already used by Egyptians, Syrians, Romans, Byzantines and Venetians.

In 1291, to avoid "fire-hazards", a Serenissima's ordinance decreed that every glass-factory had to be moved to the neighbouring island of Murano.
Here, the ancient Roman and Byzantine techniques and the innovations in forms and colours have been blended to create a mysterious and charming whol.

The tradition of the Maestri Vetrai has been handed down from father to child till today, and it is still jealously preserved by the Venetian government, which has always protected it.
Everything made of Murano glass - from the murrine to the filigrees, from the chandeliers to the chalices - is the result of work, imagination, discoveries and inventions bound together with a continuous thread which goes from the Middle-Age to the Renaissance, right up to us.

Manifacture

 Glass is a solid matter which, in its raw state, is made of siliceous sand, soda, lime and potassium melted together in a container placed in a oven at a temperature of 1500°C, to become a malleable material (the oven is constantly heated in order to keep glass ready).

VThen, the master "takes away" this substance by means of a pierced metallic pipe and works it with the help of pliers, scissors and wooden shovels.
Besides this technique (called "scutura"), there is the one called "glass -blowing" which consists in blowing inside the pipe to give the objet a form.

Sometimes, the design of the product can even be obtained by means of stencils.
To make glass precious, one can also apply gold or silver foil.

The colouring of the glass, on the contrary, comes from the use of minerals such as zinc for white, cobalt for blue, manganese for violet, and so on. Once the objet is finished, it is placed in a cooling oven, called "tempera", to cool down slowly; in this way it doesn't break because of the excessive changes of temperature.

 APPLICAZIONI A CALDO A technique consisting in warm applying to an object lines, borders, etc. having different forms and dimensions, during its manufacture.
AVVENTURINA. A kind of glass being copper-coloured and having sparkling crystal pieces inside. This manufacturing process is particularly difficult (the name itself means that the process necessary to obtain this glass was considered like a "ventura", i.e. like seeking one's fortune), and is attributed to the Miotti glassblowers towards the half of the seventeenth century.
BALLOTON. A metal mould used to obtain a blowed glass having crossed raised effects.
BULLICANTE. It is the "bubble" effect obtained by moulding a "pea" through the Balloton, and then covering the object with another glass layer.
CALCEDONIO. A glass having polychrome veins obtained by mixing various metal compounds at different times, imitating this way natural stones such as chalcedony, agate, and malachite. It was already known in Alexandria of Egypt, and then reproduced in Murano between the end of the fifteenth century and the eighteenth century. In the last fourth of the nineteenth century, the "calcedonio" was rediscovered by Lorenzo Radi.
CAMMEO. This is the famous "Vase of Portland" (dating back to the beginning of the first century A.D., exhibited at the British Museum of London. This is an extraordinary example of the so called "cameo" working, consisting in raised-carving the object formed by two glas layers having different colours. In the Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum) of Murano, two precious glasses of the nineteenth century are exhibited, which wereproduced by C.V.M.C. Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, and carved by Attilio Spaccarelli.
COLOR IN FOGO. Expression used in the Murano kilns to denote a glass coloured through oxides or minerals during its melting process.
CRISTALLO. Venetian crystal is a colourless glass, produced since the half of the fifteenth century, and obtained by bleaching through manganese or other decolorants. It is a sodium-glass, suitable for a manual working.
FENICIO. It is a technique using glass threads which are combed with a metal tool, so that once they are merged into glass, the obtained decoration is similar to festoons or feathers.
FILIGRANA, RETICELLO, A RETORDI. Glass formed by colourless rods, inside of which coloured or opaque white threads are enclosed. They are called "reticello" when the threads are interwoven so to form a grid, inside of whose lozenges a small air bubble forms. Glass is called "a retorti" or "retortoli" when threads twist as a spiral. This is one of the most ancient workings, having been used already in the sixteenth century.
FILO: Decoration made by applying a thread - which can be of various thicknesses and colours - usually on the upper rim or on the base of objects such as vases, cups or glasses.
GHIACCIATO O VETRO GHIACCIO. This kind of glass is apparently cracked on all its surface. This effect is obtained by plunging into water the glass when being still warm.
INCALMO. This is an ancient glass technique requiring a particular dexterity from the master performing it. It allows to obtain objects formed by parts blown one at a time, usually of different colours, and then warm joint together, and shaped so to obtin the wished form.
LATTIMO. Opaque white glass produced for the first time in Murano towards the half of the fifteenth century, imitating china-pieces. At that time it was used particularly for manufacturing objects decorated with multicoloured enamels.
MAESTRO. Name used for the most skilled workers, who are responsible for the good working of the entire team (see "piazza") entrusted to them.
MEZZA STAMPATURA. This technique has been used since the time of the Roman Empire. It consist in applying to a blown object another layer of glass, which is then engraved in an open mould, in order to obtain decorative ribs only on one part of the objects itself.
MORISE. The "morise" working consists in warm applying a thread or small cord worked with pliers, so to obtain a serpentine.
Millefiori MURRINE. Glass formed by sections of various multicoloured glass rods, which are placed so to form a pre-arranged drawing, and then melted together. This technique was already known in Egypt between the third and the first century B.C.
ORO. Decoration obtained by warm applying a small golden foil onto the glass being yet not-shaped. This foil can be put outside or sunk inside.
PEA. It is the small glass ball prepared by the master, from which every hollow glass object takes origin.
PIAZZA. It denotes a team forming one production unit being able to autonomously execute all working phases, which are necessary to manufacture an object.
RIGADIN RITORTO. Glass blown by using a mould, so to obtain thin ribs which - at warm condition - undergo a light torsion.
STAMPO. Wooden or iron tool into which glass is blown, when wishing to mould the material in a particular way. Among the most used moulds, there are those to obtain blown glass with vertical lines and the balloton.
VETRO SOMMERSO. Glass covered by another layer of glass having a different colour from the one of the bottom layer. The first "Sunk Glasses" were produced in Murano during the second half of the Thirties.