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| History of Murano |
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The History of the Murano Glass Makers:
Glass production in Murano, Italy boasts an ancient tradition. For centuries, thanks to the creativity and manual dexterity of generations of families of master glassworkers, Murano has been the world cradle of artistic glass and today the working of its glass is one of the most refined forms of artistic craftwork in the world, deeply embedded in its roots and historical traditions. Supplying quality glass products since 1291, Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th Century, and by the 10th Century it had grown into a prosperous trading center with its own coins, police force, and commercial aristocracy.
Glass making in Murano remains a hand-made production with traditional procedures. Murano glass has known moments of glory over the centuries because it has always been characterized by an obsessive search for quality. In fact Murano's pride has always been its aesthetic quality which has often contrasted with its competition and has frustrated attempts at imitation. Just as with painting & sculpture, interior design, mode and jewellery have become entwined in the history of Murano.
There was a time when the trade of glassblowing - indeed, glassmaking in general - was dominated by an elite group of craftsmen in the Venetian Republic, most notably on the island of Murano. In 1291, the Maggior Consiglio (the Venetian government) decreed that all the glass furnaces had to be moved from the city of Venice proper onto the island of Murano, because of the fire hazard to a city built of wood and where the consolidation of all glassblowers on a small island allowed the government to better oversee and manage its monopoly on the profitable industry.
Realizing that the glassblowers secret techniques were prestigious and one of the underpinnings of the local economy, the Republic further tightened its control by issuing an edict forbidding glassblowers to practice their craft in other countries. To insure that the maestri's secrets were never revealed, harsh sentences were meted out to individuals who leaked secrets to foreigners or left Venice without official permission. At the time it was rumored that the Maggior Consiglio even hired assassins to capture or kill artisans who left the island.
It wasn't long until Murano's glassmakers were the leading citizens on the island. Artisans were granted the right to wear swords and enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the notoriously high-handed Venetian state. By the late 14th Century, the daughters of glassmakers were allowed to marry into Venice's blue-blooded families.
Such pampered treatment had one catch - Glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the Republic. If a craftsman got a hankering to set up shop beyond the Lagoon, he risked being assassinated or having his hands cut off by the secret police - although, in practice, most defectors weren't treated so harshly.
What made Murano's glassmakers so special? For one thing, they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make a mirror. They also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass.
Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries. Murano is still an exporter of traditional products like mirrors and glassware, and its factories produce modern items such as faucet handles, glass lampshades, and electric chandeliers. Murano's artisans produce stunning works of contemporary art from glass.
Lampwork:
It was not until the 1960’s that lampwork became recognized as a serious art form. Lampwork is glass working using a torch to melt and shape the glass. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps.
Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times, it flowered in Murano, Italy in the 1300s, and spread from there to the rest of Europe. In the 1850's, lampwork incorporated into glass domed paperweights, primarily in France, became a popular art form which is still collected today.
Early lampworking was done in the flame of an oil lamp, with the artist blowing air into the flame through a pipe. Most artists today use torches that burn either propane or natural gas for the fuel gas, with either air or pure oxygen as the oxidizer. The lampworker slowly introduces glass rod or tubing into the flame so that the pieces won't shatter from thermal shock. The glass is heated until molten, merged with other pieces, and shaped with various tools. All parts of the workpiece must be kept hot, at similar temperatures, or else they can crack or shatter. Once finished, the piece must be annealed in an oven, or else it can eventually crack or shatter.
Annealing, in glass terms, is heating a piece until its temperature reaches a stress-relief point, that is, a temperature at which the glass is still too hard to deform, but is soft enough for internal stresses to ease. The piece is then allowed to heat-soak until its temperature is even throughout - the time necessary for this varies depending on the type of glass and thickness of the thickest section. The piece is then slowly cooled at a predetermined rate until its temperature is below a critical point, at which it can no longer generate internal stresses, and then the temperature can safely be dropped to room temperature. This relieves the internal stresses, resulting in a piece which should last for many years.
Murano Glass is a fascinating handcraft which is famous through out the world and its unique and amazing colour combinations are loved by many.
There is a legend that says:
"Glass is a Gift from the Gods".
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