History of Murano Glassmaking
Murano’s reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and destruction to the city’s mostly wood buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291. Murano glass is still interwoven with Venetian glass.
Murano's glassmakers 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. Of course there was a catch: Glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the Republic. If a craftsman wanted to move his business out of Venetian territory, he risked assassination or, perhaps worse, having the secret police cut his hands off.
Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored 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 jewelry to murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers.
Today, Murano is home to the Museo Vetrario or Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian, which holds displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.
The Art of Glassmaking
The process of making Murano glass is rather complex. Most Murano glass art is made using the lampworking technique. The glass is made from silica which becomes liquid at high temperatures. As the glass passes from a liquid to a solid state, there is an interval when the glass is soft before it hardens completely. This is when the glass-master can shape the material.
Materials
The other raw materials, called flux or melting agents, soften at lower temperatures. The more sodium oxide present in the glass, the slower it solidifies. This is important for hand-working because it allows the glassmaker more time to shape the material. The various raw materials that an artisan might add to a glass mixture are sodium (to make the glass surface opaque), nitrate and arsenic (to eliminate bubbles) and coloring or opacifying substances.
Colors, techniques and materials
Colors, techniques and materials vary depending upon the look a glassmaker is trying to achieve. Aquamarine is created through the use of copper and cobalt compounds whereas ruby red uses a gold solution as a coloring agent. The millefiori technique begins with the layering of sliced canes of glass and conterie or tiny glass beads are formed by cutting thin glass canes into sections when cold then rounded when hot. Filigree, incalmo, enamel painted, engraving, gold engraving, lattimo, ribbed glass and submersion are just a few of the other techniques a glassmaker can employ.
Tools
It is essential that Murano artisans use tools in the making of their glass. Some of these tools include borselle (tongs or pliers used to hand-form the red-hot glass), canna da soffio (blowing pipe), pontello (an iron rod to which the craftsman attaches the object after blowing in order to add final touches), scagno (the glass-master's work bench) and tagianti (large glass-cutting clippers).
Italian Millefiori Pendants
Millefiori is a glasswork technique which has been used for centuries to produce distinctive decorative patterns on glassware. While the exact origins of Millefiori are unclear, there is evidence that the technique was used in Egypt as early as the 16th century BCE.
The Millefiori technique involves the production of glass canes, known as murrine canes, with multicolored patterns which are viewable only from the ends of the cane. These canes are then cut into thin slices which are laid onto and fused to another piece of glass. The end result is an intensely patterned design which often appears as if it has been painted on.
The term Millefiori is a combination of the Italian words "mille" (thousand) and "fiore" (flower) and seems to have emerged in the 18th or 19th century. While the use of this technique long precedes the term Millefiori, the technique is now frequently associated with Venetian glassware.
More recently, the Millefiori technique has been applied to polymer clays and other materials. Because polymer clay is quite pliable and does not need to be heated and reheated in order to fuse it, it is much easier to produce Millefiori patterns on lower quality compared to glassware.
The History of Evil Eye
Throughout the Mediterranean, many people believe envious gazes or high praise from others can bring you bad luck. The people who praise you probably mean you no harm, but still, evil spirits can piggyback in on their words or looks, and put a bad luck curse on you.
The Nazar charm (or Evil Eye Bead) is an "eye", often set on a blue background. It stares back at the world to ward off the evil spirits and keep you safe from harm. It is one of the most common items of decoration in any Mediterranean home, in any car, or on any person. You can see the charm hanging above doorways, dangling from the wrists or necks of young women, or even planted right into the cement outside modern office buildings, and always you will see them pinned to the shirts of newborn babies.
What do the colors mean? In the Mediterranean countries, the most popular evil eye charm color is blue. Mediterranean a dry part of the world, where water is precious -- with water things prosper and grow, and without it, things shrivel and die. The color blue reminds people of fresh, cool water.
In the Jewish faith, the color red is often associated with luck and good fortune, so red is also a popular color.
When the Evil Eye Bead appears in other colors besides blue or red, it is usually for fashion reasons -- color coordination with one's wardrobe. Beads in the alternative colors have every bit as much protective power as the traditional blue ones.
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