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It is believed that glass making in Murano originated
from 9th century Rome, with significant Asian and
Muslim influences, as Venice was a major trading port.
Murano's reputation as a centre for glass making was
born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and
destruction to the city's mostly wooden buildings,
ordered glass makers to move their foundries to Murano
in 1291. Murano glass is still interwoven with Venetian
glass.
Murano's glass makers were soon the island's most
prominent citizens. By the 14th century, glass makers
were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from
prosecution by the Venetian state and found their
daughters married into Venice's most affluent families.
However glass makers were not allowed to leave the
Republic. Many craftsmen took this risk and set up
glass furnaces in surrounding cities and as far afield
as England and the Netherlands.
By the end of the 16th century, three thousand of
Murano island's seven thousand inhabitants were involved
in some way in the glass making industry.
Murano's glass makers held a monopoly on quality
glass making for centuries, developing or refining
many technologies including crystalline glass, enameled
glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine),
multicoloured glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo),
and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans
of Murano are still employing these century-old techniques,
crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass
figurines to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers.
Today, Murano is home to a vast number of factories and a few
individual artist studios making all manner of glass
objects from mass marketed stemware to original sculpture.
The Museo Vetrario or Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian,
which holds displays on the history of glass making as well as
glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the
present day.
