Murano - Venice

Venetian / Murano Glass Murano has a worldwide reputation as an island of glassmakers. Murano lies on the Venetian lagoon just two kilometres north of Venice. Venetian glass is a phenomenon and a world-famous concept. The art of Venetian glassmaking has influenced the culture of living in many countries for centuries and continues to inspire glassmaking today, not only in Europe but also worldwide.

The history of glass: The date of the invention of glass cannot be precisely determined. It emerged gradually in the Bronze Age during the 5th and 4th millennia BC as a sub-product of ceramic production. The first objects made of glass were beads of different colours. These finds appear in Syria dating as early as the 5th millennium BC, and in Egypt around the middle of the 4th millennium. The glassmaking art of Venice is associated with the knowledge of glassmaking in the Imperial Roman period with the famous glassmaking centre of Aquileia (a rich ancient port on the Adriatic Sea) where the technology of glassmaking penetrated thanks to trade contacts with Syria. From there, in the 5th century AD, some of the inhabitants fled the Hun invasion to the Venetian lagoon, where they laid the foundations of the settlement and brought with them the knowledge of glassmaking.

Venice/Murano: The origins of glassmaking in Venice date back to the 6th to 8th centuries. In the following centuries, Venice became a maritime, military and commercial power and grew rich from the trade in silk, spices and gold, in addition to the glass trade. Glassmakers were highly valued socially. In the 13th century, glassmakers had their own guild, and in the early 16th century, the Order of the Rights and Duties of Glassmakers was published. On the basis of this order, glassmakers were elevated to the level of nobility. Venetian glass became synonymous with the wealthiest people and was seen as a luxury/exclusive commodity. To preserve the secrecy of glassmaking, the disclosure of production secrets was forbidden under penalty of death. In order to protect the town from fires and keep it secret, the glass workshops were moved to the island of Murano at the end of the 13th century. As an exclusive commodity, Venetian/Murano glass was exported to the cities of northern Italy, Flanders, England, France, Germany and the Czech lands, thus forming a significant part of Venice's budget. For a long time, it was possible to keep the production secret. Despite all the precautions, however, knowledge of the technology gradually leaked to other glassworks in Italy and Europe, thanks to glassmakers who left Venice to set up competing glassworks outside. As more and more glassworks outside worked in the Venetian way, however, the original purity of the Venetian glass lines was lost. For the Czech lands, Venetian glass was for a long time an unrivalled model. In Bohemia, potassium glass was used, which is harder and hardened quickly, so it was impossible to imitate the light Venetian Renaissance glass. Venetian glass was imported to the Czech lands at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, but only on direct orders, usually from the nobility. In European courts, precious Venetian glass is mounted in gold and silver.

Contemporary Murano: In the second half of the 20th century, Murano glassmaking revived old Venetian techniques and transformed them into modern decorative glass, taking a leading position in the field of European art glass. The production of Murano glass today is similar to that of the 19th century, and today, as in history, it is a luxury item. Today, the island of Murano is alive with glassmaking. Murano glass has once again become a phenomenon, as it once was during the Renaissance. Around 25 million tourists visit Venice every year to admire the skill of the glassmakers and the beauty of the finished products. There are around 50 registered glassworks actively operating here, which can use the unique 'Vetro Artistico® Murano' label. Genuine Murano glass must bear the 'Vetro Artistico di Murano' trademark, which guarantees the quality and originality of the local glass to the customer.