fossilfly
02-08-2011, 11:07 AM
A great new article about the history of Murano beads and the (many) turns of fortune the glass artisans on Murano have had during the past 1000 years. Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Zanetti Murano Glass Museum, the article reviews the exhibit along with research on the history of Murano beads, which had been a major export for many years, so much so they were used for currency in parts of the world. Below is an excerpt, the entire article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/arts/08iht-conway08.html
VENICE — The invention of glassblowing in the first century B.C. put cheap glasses on Roman tavern tables throughout the empire, and bottles and pickle jars on the shelves of even the humblest homes. Along with many other comforts and conveniences, glass utensils, and indeed glass window panes, all but disappeared in the West with the empire’s collapse. When glassblowing was revived on any scale in the second millennium, Venice took the lead.
But trying to hold on to that advantage was no easy matter. And over the centuries Venice’s glass industry experienced changing fortunes. The story of these ups and downs, of decline and revival, is related in “The Adventure of Glass: A Millennium of Venetian Art,” at the Correr Museum . The exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Glass Museum in Murano by Vincenzo Zanetti. The exhibits include pieces from the museum that have never been shown before and additional rarities from private collections.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/arts/08iht-conway08.html
VENICE — The invention of glassblowing in the first century B.C. put cheap glasses on Roman tavern tables throughout the empire, and bottles and pickle jars on the shelves of even the humblest homes. Along with many other comforts and conveniences, glass utensils, and indeed glass window panes, all but disappeared in the West with the empire’s collapse. When glassblowing was revived on any scale in the second millennium, Venice took the lead.
But trying to hold on to that advantage was no easy matter. And over the centuries Venice’s glass industry experienced changing fortunes. The story of these ups and downs, of decline and revival, is related in “The Adventure of Glass: A Millennium of Venetian Art,” at the Correr Museum . The exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Glass Museum in Murano by Vincenzo Zanetti. The exhibits include pieces from the museum that have never been shown before and additional rarities from private collections.