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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Antiques and Collectibles Articles   Follow the arrows to other stories Venetian Glass   By Della Walker Although glassmaking has been known to the most ancient of civilizations, medieval Europeans confined the art to the making of stained glass windows for churches. Islamic nations kept alive the tradition of the Romans who had settled the lands before the flourishing of these nations. Venice is reputed to have been settled by remnants of the Roman nation in 452 A.D. as they were fleeing the depredations of Attila the Hun. Legend says the city was built on a series of islands in a lagoon for defensive reasons. Whether or not these early settlers brought the art of glassmaking with them or acquired it through trade with Islamic nations is a question history cannot answer.   The wealth of Venice came through trade. And glass objects became profitable trade items. Glass furnaces began to multiply and by 1224 Venetian glass blowers formed a guild which controlled all aspects of glassmaking. Glassmakers followed strict regulations that governed each of the three artistic techniques: "Cristalle", makers of window and optical glass, "Fioleri", makers of glass vessels and ornamental pieces, and "speechiai", who made mirrors.   By 1291 Venice was having problems with fires originating from the glass houses' need of constant and high heat. The Council of the Venetian Republic then ordered all glass houses moved to the Island of Murano. This legislation also served to prevent glassmakers taking their knowledge and skills elsewhere. In return, glassmakers were given privileges heretofore reserved for the Nobility. Venice's' most serious rival in production of the world's glass products was Syria. But Venice inadvertently won out over their Syrian rivals in 1402 when the Tamerlane conquered Damascus and, for reasons known only to Tamerlane, deported all those who worked in the craft of glassmaking.   Some of the displaced artisans settled in Genoa, and for 200 years the cities were rivals for control of the glass market. Venice was defeated as a world trading nation when the Dutch and English trading companies brought previously unknown goods to European and British markets.   Decline in trade for Venice meant ascendancy in art. The intense flowering of the glassmakers' art began in the Renaissance. Beauty in glasswares began to be perfected. Whereas the green caused by iron particles in the silica used in glassmaking was basically the only "color", now experiments saw a rainbow of hues being made into artistic wares.   Gilding and enameling were used in ornamentation. During the second half of the 15th Century, a material known as "Crystallo" was perfected. This was the beginning of the clear, almost transparent product normally associated with the word "glass" today. It had not only the desired clarity, but the new formulae could be blown into the most delicate shapes and forms.   Experimentation at this time saw the development of a technique which combined strips of opaque whitish or colored glass with the clear or colored product, to create an effect known as "Catticino". Some pieces were made with blowing glass into a mold lined with hot strips, which gave the product a "checkered" appearance. Enamel decoration fell out of favor in Venice during the first half of the 16th Century, while artisans concentrated on differing forms and decoration thereof, including intricate Catticino forms, Millefiori decorative works, and varied engravings.   Aventurine was a Venetian favorite; it consists of gold, silver, copper or mica flakes dispersed throughout the glass in various ways. Glass that resembled precious and semi-precious stones was made in a variety of forms.   The fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797 saw a decline in popularity of their glass. By then, many glassmakers had migrated throughout Europe and the British Isles and even America, and trade secrets were no longer secret.   A slight renaissance in Venetian glass re-emerged during the mid 19th Centuries when glassmaking was once again viewed as an art. But as America, France and England produced products that had more market appeal, the glass houses did not flourish.   But Murano's glass furnaces fired up again during the 1950's and 1960's saw a revival of older products emerge. Once again, "Catticino" was being made and colored glass in all the colors of the rainbow and more was once again decorated with enamels.   The name of Salviati is linked with award winning contemporary glass. Several of these pieces can be seen at museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Corning Museum of Glass.   Contemporary Venetian glass has its critics who claim the industry has degenerated. This is likely due to tourist souvenirs found in the many shops in St. Marks Square. Shaped like birds and clowns and made with a mixture of colored and clear glass, it is no wonder that such criticism exists.   Other articles by Della Walker Antique furniture   Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2007 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster