Jules'
Jewels
Murano Glass Creations
History tells us that the Murano glass blowing tradition started around the end of the 10th century, in 982 exactly. The small island of Murano was part of the young Republic of Venice, called the Serenissima, which was establishing its power on a commercial and political level that would last for centuries.
Murano became the center of glass making in 1291 when all glass works were ordered by law, to move their factories to the island of Murano near Venice. Before 1291, most of the factories were located in Venice, but due to the risk of fires, the Venetian Senate decreed that the industry be moved to the Island of Murano.
Murano glassmakers soon became important people. They were allowed to carry swords, had immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state and married their daughters into Venice’s richest families. With all these benefits...it seemed too good to be true...in fact it was...there was one catch: to keep the secret of the glass blowing techniques, glass makers were not allowed to leave the Venetian Republic! Strict penalties were given to those who shared their glass-blowing techniques with other countries. Still some Murano glass craftsmen took this risk and set up glass furnaces in surrounding cities and countries including England, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. That is also the reason why glass from this period is difficult to differentiate as some Murano glass blowers established their furnaces outside Murano.
During the 16th Century almost half of Murano's 7,000 inhabitants were involved in the glass making industry. The glass supported almost the entire economy of the island, and Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many techniques.
During the late 17th Century and into the early 19th Century, Murano glass making techniques suffered a serious decline due to Chinese glass being introduced to the world thanks to the same sea routes which first helped Murano export its glass. Many furnaces closed and several family-based glass makers ceased to exist. Murano glass makers continued to produce glass beads which become known as "Venetian Beads" but the production of Murano glass was reduced to a fraction of what it had once been during its earlier years. In the late 19th century, only a few furnaces were still in operation but none of them were able to create hand-blown glass. All the knowledge and techniques from previous generations were becoming a lost art.
Luckily, Murano glass blowing was reborn in 1866 when Salviati e Co. Murano glass factory was founded. Murano was put on the map again as the center of European glass.
Murano glass was produced in great quantities in the 1950s and 1960s for export and for tourists. Murano glass had unprecedented name recognition throughout the world. Murano glass factories grew as new designers offered a new aesthetic to age old Murano glass blowing techniques.
Nowadays, the glass masters, glass blowers, lamp workers and glass decorators of Murano glass are still using these century-old techniques which they have perfected generation after generation, creating everything from rings to chandeliers, from tiny animals to enormous sculptures. The old mixes with the new, and today Murano is home to the wonderful Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian, which proudly tells the story of glass making as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through to the present day.
