{"id":118079,"date":"2023-03-02T16:57:11","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T15:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.patriziavolpato.it\/il-vetro-di-murano-e-la-lavorazione-del-vetro-nei-lampadari\/"},"modified":"2023-03-02T17:33:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T16:33:50","slug":"murano-glass-and-glass-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shop.patriziavolpato.it\/en\/murano-glass-and-glass-making\/","title":{"rendered":"MURANO GLASS AND GLASS-MAKING FOR CHANDELIERS<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”118021″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

T<\/strong>HE VENETIAN MASTER GLASSMAKERS: <\/strong>A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF AN ANCIENT ARTISAN TRADITION<\/strong><\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]Although today, the workshops of Venetian master glassmakers<\/strong> are located in the area surrounding Venice, when one thinks of Venetian glass, one immediately thinks of Murano<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But why is Murano known as the “island of glass”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Glass-making is an ancient art<\/strong> and, since the period of the Republic of Venice<\/strong>, it has been a precious source of wealth.<\/p>\n

It was precisely in 1291 that the Doge decided to move the glass furnaces<\/strong> to a single island: Murano<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This choice had a dual function. First of all, to contain the risks of frequent fires<\/strong> that the presence of the ovens and furnaces entailed (click here <\/strong><\/a>\u2013\u00a0to find out more); secondly, as a protection<\/strong> and safeguard of the secrets of glass-making<\/strong> by controlling the master glassmakers.<\/p>\n

There were many foreign powers that wanted to compete with Venice, but they did not know their techniques and that is why the master glassmakers were supervised<\/strong> and protected. In fact, they could not leave the country <\/strong>taking the secrets of glass with them.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”118024″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

MURANO AND THE ART OF GLASS, A TRADITION PRESERVED OVER THE CENTURIES \u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]One of the effects of the concentration of master glassmakers on the island of Murano was the exchange of techniques and new ideas that led to significant innovations in glass-making<\/strong> itself such as, for example, the creation of Venetian crystal<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 the first truly transparent glass in the world.<\/p>\n

Despite the precautions taken by the Doge, however, many glassmakers managed to escape with their wealth of experience and artisan knowledge, throwing Venice into a period of crisis that lasted several centuries.<\/p>\n

The turning point came with the introduction of Murano glass in the creation of chandeliers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It was the famous Master Giuseppe Briati<\/strong> who invented the Murano chandelier with flowers<\/strong> \u2013 still today, one of the most sought-after styles in the world \u2013 for which the master glassmakers<\/strong> became and remained for many centuries synonymous with producers of luxury items<\/strong> throughout Europe.<\/p>\n

Among the most famous Murano chandeliers <\/strong>in history, we recall the chandelier of the ballroom of Palazzo Alliata<\/strong> di Pietratagliata (Palace Alliata of Pietratagliata) \u2013 the largest chandelier in Italy! \u2013 and the chandelier still hanging today in the palace of Frederick IV of Denmark<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The <\/strong>Venetian glass-making techniques<\/strong> have been<\/strong> handed down unchanged over the centuries<\/strong> from generation to generation and, still today, the art of Murano glass is one of the Italian artisan excellences <\/strong>exported all over the world.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”118027″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

THE MASTER GLASSMAKER AND HIS HELPERS: HOW MURANO GLASS WAS BORN
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]The master glassmaker is<\/strong> not a simple glassmaker, but a real artist<\/strong> who has to have a wealth of skills and also a certain level of physical strength.<\/p>\n

Just think of the high temperatures<\/strong> to which those who work with glass are constantly subjected to, think of the tools<\/strong> they use to work (hot pliers, wooden laths, \u201ccanna da soffio, da levar e da supiar\u201d (blowpipe, for blowing and for gathering), \u201ccazza da infornar, da missiar e dai traghettar\u201d (shovel to pour raw materials inside crucible, to mix them and to transport them), just to name a few), think of the weight <\/strong>of the incandescent bolo (lump of molten glass that is removed from the crucible with a barrel) and of the rapidity of the movements<\/strong> and gestures of their work.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, they must also be able to interpret technical drawings but, above all, the master glassmaker designs, creates, models and transforms an idea into something real<\/strong> starting from a powder \u2013 silica sand \u2013 which is transformed into an incandescent paste with heat until it becomes a solid element.<\/p>\n

Today, one can attend courses<\/strong> to learn the art of glass. A process that includes education in the artistic and humanistic fields, but in which theoretical training cannot be separated from practical training in a workshop to learn the various processing techniques, such as, for example, glass blowing<\/strong>, torch work<\/strong> or watermark<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And before becoming a master glassmaker, there is a lengthy education process that passes through a rigid hierarchy.<\/p>\n

To produce and manually work the elements of a Murano glass chandelier, the master needs numerous assistants<\/strong> and directs them just like an orchestra conductor.<\/p>\n

Each assistant has a name and a specific task in the production process and in the creation of the glass element. Thus, in addition to the master, there is<\/strong> also \u201cil servente<\/strong> e il serventino\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 the first and second helper of the master \u2013 \u201cil garzone<\/strong>, il garzonetto<\/strong> e il forcellante\u201d<\/strong> (other names of helpers in the glass-making process).<\/p>\n

The glass paste must be prepared during the night<\/strong>, by inserting the raw materials necessary for the following day’s work into the oven at 1,200 degrees. Silica sand can be combined with various other powders and materials such as sodium oxide, arsenic nitrate, zinc or calcium oxide, depending on the type of glass to be obtained.<\/p>\n

The heat creates a soft and malleable material, which is worked by the master glassmaker and their assistants according to the chosen technique and once finished, the element is inserted into another furnace <\/strong>at around 500 degrees, which is then turned off and left to cool for a day or so. This treatment avoids breaking the glass i<\/strong>tself.<\/p>\n

It is interesting to know that the average age of master glassmakers<\/strong> is fifty years and that about 60% still live in Murano<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”118030″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

PATRIZIA VOLPATO BRINGS MURANO GLASS CHANDELIERS AROUND THE WORLD<\/strong><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]Murano glas<\/strong>s<\/strong> is one of the basic elements in almost all of the chandelier collections by Patrizia Volpato chandeliers<\/strong>, as they include the tradition<\/strong> of Venetian glass and they bring it to the world with innovation<\/strong> and creativity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Research <\/strong>and technology<\/strong> that respond to modern needs and care for sustainability <\/strong>are added to the craftsmanship of glass<\/strong> made by Venetian master glassmakers.<\/p>\n

The collections hand down the ancient <\/strong>processing techniques<\/strong> with a modern<\/strong> and contemporary design <\/strong>such as, for example:<\/p>\n