Murano and glass – Handmade Murano Glass | Alessandro Mandruzzato

An art that defies the centuries

The art of Murano glass represents one of the most fascinating examples of Italian artisanal tradition. Venetian glass masters inherited the use of soda glass from Eastern artisans, an ideal composition for hot glassmaking, but refined it with a unique and unmistakable style.

The masters’ intuition was to recognize glass as a living and malleable material, capable of being blown and shaped with elegance, maintaining its luster and transparency even after cooling.
Unlike the Nordic tradition, where glass was treated like a stone to be sculpted, a new, fluid and luminous art form was born in Murano.

The Birth of a Unique Industry

In the 13th century, the island of Murano became the beating heart of Venetian glassmaking.
In 1291, the Venetian government decreed the relocation of all the furnaces to the island to protect production secrets and prevent fires in the city.

A few years earlier, in 1271, the glassmakers’ guild had already introduced very strict laws to protect artisanal knowledge: anyone leaving Venice without authorization risked severe penalties. Reflecting the prestige of the master glassmakers, they enjoyed special privileges, such as the right to bear the sword and immunity from prosecution.

Innovation and Quality Monopoly

The fifteenth century

Initially, blown glass had a utilitarian purpose, and in fact little documentation survives. However, in 1400, glass objects began to be produced in Venice for purely artistic and aesthetic purposes; among these artists, Antonio da Codegoro is noteworthy. In the second half of the 15th century, works appeared by painters on crystal glass, such as Pietro de Zorzi Cortiner, Filippo de Catanei della Sirena, Valentino Ungaro, Alvise da Segna, Zuane Maria Licini, Zuane Maria Leopardo, and others, who used fusible colored enamels. This glass, called crystalline because it was extremely pure, appears to have been created by Angelo Barovier (1405-1460), a descendant of a famous dynasty of glassmakers still operating on the island of Murano. Referring to the creation of crystal, crystalline glass, which was initially transparent and later colored, was more often produced and left colorless in the 15th century, like rock crystal, hence crystal. However, this transparent material did not go well with the thick, opaque enamel decorations, so over time the decorations became increasingly lighter and executed with enamel or gold dots, a production that continued until the first quarter of the 16th century.

The sixteenth century

In this century, in addition to decorated crystal or clear white glass decorated with milk glass used in filigree (long, thin rods inserted into clear glass), glass was decorated with diamond or flint engraving, which scratched the glass surface with a predetermined design, invented by Vincenzo di Angelo Dal Gallo in 1534. This technique was used to create the appearance of crystal wrapped in fine lace. Another type of workmanship of the time was “ice glass,” rough and cracked on the outside, shiny but not transparent. Decoration was achieved by applying cold color to the back of the objects and using subjects from paintings by artists such as Raphael or Primaticcio; a prime example is the plate with “The Two Sleeping Women,” most likely executed by Marcantonio Raimondi, revisiting a Raphael painting. Toward the end of the century, glass decorated with “pen” decorations using milk glass wrapped in threads “combed” into festoons with a special tool became popular. In the second half of the 16th century, objects became more complex and intricate, thanks to the pincer technique. In the 16th century, with the spread and fame of Murano glass throughout Europe, master glassmakers were called to work in foreign glassworks, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, England, and Spain. Among the most notable families of the second half of the 15th century were the Barovier, Mozzetto, and Della Pigna families, and in the 16th century, the Ballarin, De Catanei della Sirena, D’Angelo Dal Gallo, Bortolussi, and Dragani dynasties.

The seventeenth century

In the 17th century, no particularly innovative objects were produced, but glass became distinguished by the production of objects known as à la façon de Venise, produced abroad by local artisans or, very often, by expatriate Murano glassmakers. These, in keeping with the tastes of their host countries, emphasized the Baroque decorative motifs that had appeared in the previous century on colored glass, such as the decoration on the stems of chalices known as “ad alette.” Unfortunately, this century marked the great exodus of Murano glassmakers, who settled in the large cities of Northern Europe, more due to poverty caused by the rigidity of republican laws than to economic gain. And it was indeed during this period that the art of glassmaking began to decline, despite having some talented artists, giving way to the emergence of Bohemian glass. This glass, developed in the 1770s and 1780s, was clearer and heavier than Venetian glass, and could be worked more easily, both intaglio and engraving, no longer scratched but wheeled. Thus, paradoxically, at the end of the century in Venice the wheel engravings from Bohemian glass were imitated.

The eighteenth century

In an attempt to overcome the severe crisis facing the glassmaking industry at the beginning of the century, Giuseppe Briati of Murano began producing glass similar in composition to Bohemian glass, without imitating the work but rather attempting to outdo the competition. As for the wheel-engraved glass, also a Bohemian technique, albeit with a different style, it had to be called “Bohemian-style” crystal. Nonetheless, Briati’s production, approved by the Council of Ten in 1737, was enormously successful. Among the most famous objects were the “chiocche,” multi-branched chandeliers decorated with festoons, flowers, and leaves; the “deseri,” table centerpieces; colored crystal mirrors; and the famous “lattimo,” which imitated porcelain. In Murano, the lattimo glass was primarily made by the Miotti family and the Bertolini brothers, who in 1739 had obtained the exclusive right to decorate it in gold from the Republic of Venice. This period also saw the production of camouflage glass, such as “chalcedony,” “aventurine,” and blown glass decorated with hot enamel. Masters of this technique were Osvaldo Brussa and his son Angelo Brussa, whose subjects, featuring flowers, fruit, animals, and religious and secular scenes, date back to the early nineteenth century. It should not be forgotten that glass found practical application in the creation of household objects, such as oil and vinegar cruets, Florentine table lamps, trays, baskets, centerpieces, and as a decorative furnishing material. Throughout most of the eighteenth century, Venetian mirrors, framed with decorations, enamels, and engravings, sometimes appearing on the surface, enjoyed great importance. Briati’s successors were Giacomo Giandolin, Lorenzo Rossetto and Zuane Gastaldello, Vittorio Mestre, the Bohemian Fine Crystal Company, Antonio Motta, Vincenzo Moretti, and others.

The nineteenth century

With the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, the city entered an industrial and employment crisis. In 1806, Napoleonic decrees abolished the craft guilds, and thus the glassmakers’ work lost the protection of the Mariegola dell’Arte. Furthermore, the furnaces suffered from competition from Bohemia, Styria, and Carinthia, whose glass products abounded in our markets. Furthermore, the massive emigration of glassmakers spread professional secrets, while imported raw materials and exported products suffered the heavy burden of taxation. A stagnation thus occurred between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, both technically and aesthetically, although the Brussa tradition of enamel-painted glass continued in a very crude form. The revival was led by Domenico Bussolin in 1838 and Pietro Bigaglia in 1845, who resumed producing brightly colored filigree glass with a variety of weaves, as well as the production of “avventurina” and Lorenzo Radi with his “chalcedoni.” Subsequently, in the mid-century, the Toso brothers founded the eponymous furnace, and in 1859 Antonio Salviati established the workshop, collaborating with Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti on the Foundation of the Archive and the School of Drawing for Glassmakers, which later became the Glass Museum. The school and museum were closely linked, as students became masters if they were able to faithfully reproduce antique objects. After the war of 1866, with the annexation of the Veneto to Italy, the splendor of Murano glassmaking was revived. Indeed, in 1866 Antonio Salviati reactivated the production and trade of blown glass, exporting primarily to London. During this period, Vincenzo Moretti created the “murrini” glass of the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, reproducing Roman mosaic glass. The artisans also revived the gold-leafed early Christian glass exhibited at the 1878 Paris Universal Exhibition, as well as enameled glass, including the “Coppa Barovier,” now in the Museum, which represents their first work. Meanwhile, the Corinti and Fenici glass produced by the Compagnia di Venezia e Murano, by Salviatti, and by the Toso brothers, using a technique that reproduced excavated ceramics. In the 1890s, innovative movements were emerging throughout Europe, but Murano continued to produce 19th-century glass. In 1895, however, the Barovier family, at the opening of the first Venice Biennale, produced extremely lightweight goblets with spiral stems in a distinctly Art Nouveau style.

The twentieth century

The 20th century began in Murano with new, modern glassmaking processes. The first innovator was Vittorio Toso Borella, who, around 1909, created two bowls in very light glass decorated with herons and aquatic flowers in transparent enamel. Vittorio Zecchin, an artist from the Cà Pesaro Secessionist group, created mosaic glass creations in the Barovier furnace and exhibited at Cà Pesaro in 1913. In 1914, the “Barbaro” slab designed by the painter Teodoro Wolf Ferrari became famous.

After the interruption caused by the First World War, the furnaces resumed production, adopting a simple, functional style. Collaborations between artists and furnaces began shortly after the end of the conflict. Vittorio Zecchin himself became the artistic director of “Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Cappellin Venini e C.,” founded in 1921 and specialized in the revival of 16th-century glass styles inspired by Renaissance paintings, such as the “Calice Costolato” and the “Vaso Veronese.” Other artists, such as the painter Guido Cadorin and the sculptor Napoleone Martinuzzi, collaborated with the companies, and the latter, in 1925, following the separation of Cappellin and Paolo Venini, became the artistic director of “Nuova Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Venini e C.” until 1932. Among his works, which demonstrate his experience as a sculptor, are the glass and filigree ducklings of 1929 and a type of opaque glass with incorporated air bubbles or “puleghe,” hence called “pulegoso,” which produced thick objects such as fruit, mushrooms, and succulents decorated with ribbons.

In the 1920s, Umberto Bellotto distinguished himself by combining glass with wrought iron and collaborating with Pauly & Co. and, first, with Barovier, which was the most active artistic glassworks between 1920 and 1930 and employed the technician and designer Ercole Barovier. Second in importance was S.A.L.I.R., known for its engraved glass and for its collaboration with the etcher Guido Balsamo Stella and the Bohemian engraver Franz Pelzel.

In the early 1920s, Salviati reopened with the collaboration of Dino Martens and the painter Mario De Luigi. In 1940, thick glass began to be considered a traditional glassmaking technique, and Carlo Scarpa’s glass pieces for Venini began to be produced in the 1930s. After the war, with the resumption of glassmaking, Ercole Barovier and Giulio Radi distinguished themselves for AVEM’s use of metallic dyes, while Alfredo Barbini created a series of hot sculptures. Archimede Seguso, pursuing traditional techniques, created precious filigree fabrics. From the 1950s onwards, Paolo Venini’s glassworks collaborated with designers of all nationalities, creating mosaic glass plates and tableware. Today, in Murano, glass has become an expression of pure art, to which artists dedicate themselves, using the furnaces but without the constraints of mass production.

From 1934 to today

In the early 1920s, Salviati reopened with the collaboration of Dino Martens and the painter Mario De Luigi.
In 1934, Beniamino Mandruzzato founded Vetreria Mandruzzato, and since in 1940, thick glass began to be considered a traditional glassmaking technique, Beniamino developed an elegant style, more defined and modern than what was commonly seen at the time. After the war, with the resumption of operations, Beniamino and other masters distinguished themselves for their use of metallic dyes, while others hot-molded a series of sculptures.
After leaving the company to his son Luigi and grandson Gianfranco, they continued to refine Beniamino’s style, which culminated in the 1960s with his collaboration on a major project with Pablo Picasso.
Picasso, who had pioneered Cubism from 1907 to 1914, found the Mandruzzato family’s ideas and style perfect for a glass work of a chessboard composed of eight different types of hand-cut pieces.
This led to many other collaborations with international artists such as Marc Chagall and Max Ernst. Meanwhile, the last heir of the Mandruzzato family, Alessandro, was beginning to master the art and experience that had been passed down through four generations.
After a long internship in the company, several years of specialized training courses, and numerous workshops, he further refined his technique, adapting it to modern needs.
He was thus able to progress and blend his new skills with family tradition, and in 2000 he established himself as an independent sculptor. He began mixing new materials with Murano glass to give it a contemporary touch, including wood, stainless steel, and various precious metals.
The clean, geometric shapes of Alessandro Mandruzzato’s modern style have attracted a number of well-known names over the years, including Armani, Fendi, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf & Goodman, Harrod’s, Nissan Motors, Ajmal Dubai Perfumes, and others.
Alessandro strives for perfection in service and quality, which is why the job isn’t finished until the client is completely satisfied.

Alessandro Mandruzzato

“When I witness the joy and enthusiasm expressed by a customer, I know that the countless hours of work I dedicate to each piece are more than rewarded.

I continue my work in the belief that in Murano today, glass has become an expression of pure art, to which artists dedicate themselves, using furnaces but without the constraints of mass production.”

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