Buongiorno miei amata amici! Much of our glassware that has come into our homes, has been influenced through the great artists of glass blowing. Whether goblets for wine, vases for floral displays, or chandeliers illuminating our homes, they all root in glass blowing.
In Italy, blown glass dates back to the first century, when Phoenicians exploited their glass-blowing trade in Rome and the entire Roman Empire. I use the term exploited, as while blown glass was a highly desired item, the Caesars would not permit the Roman citizens to engage in such a trade. Thus the Phoenicians cornered the market, until such a time Italians learned the trade and were permitted to market their products.
Over the centuries, in the Venice region of Italy, came a superior quality of blown glass known as Venetian Glass. To this day, many artists in the Venice region have shops catering to this very trade, such as Murano Chandeliers, which we have pictured to the right. I am not meaning to give a preference to this company, as I have never owned one of their products, simply illustrating an example and borrowed one of their photos for the purpose.
In the USA, we have several Italian and/or American famous glass artisans, of which I will touch on a couple of notable interest.
Lino Tagliapietra, is a maestro of glass artistry and while born in Murano, Italy, in 1979 he came to the USA to start teaching his centuries old technical knowledge of working with glass. Lino, is considered renowned in almost all parts of the world and has established himself as such The Maestro or Master of Glass. His collections are exhibited in museums across the globe.
Dante Marioni is influenced in the Venetian style. He excels in Reticello (net) and Murrine (mosaic) techniques. His work has graced the cover of The White House Collection of American Crafts and he has published Dante Marioni: Blown Glass through Hudson Hill Press.
Today, as you enjoy your glass of wine, cut flowers from your garden and display them in a vase, or enjoy the light emitting from a fixture in your home, you will remember Italy.
In Italy, blown glass dates back to the first century, when Phoenicians exploited their glass-blowing trade in Rome and the entire Roman Empire. I use the term exploited, as while blown glass was a highly desired item, the Caesars would not permit the Roman citizens to engage in such a trade. Thus the Phoenicians cornered the market, until such a time Italians learned the trade and were permitted to market their products.
Over the centuries, in the Venice region of Italy, came a superior quality of blown glass known as Venetian Glass. To this day, many artists in the Venice region have shops catering to this very trade, such as Murano Chandeliers, which we have pictured to the right. I am not meaning to give a preference to this company, as I have never owned one of their products, simply illustrating an example and borrowed one of their photos for the purpose.In the USA, we have several Italian and/or American famous glass artisans, of which I will touch on a couple of notable interest.
Lino Tagliapietra, is a maestro of glass artistry and while born in Murano, Italy, in 1979 he came to the USA to start teaching his centuries old technical knowledge of working with glass. Lino, is considered renowned in almost all parts of the world and has established himself as such The Maestro or Master of Glass. His collections are exhibited in museums across the globe.
Dante Marioni is influenced in the Venetian style. He excels in Reticello (net) and Murrine (mosaic) techniques. His work has graced the cover of The White House Collection of American Crafts and he has published Dante Marioni: Blown Glass through Hudson Hill Press.
Today, as you enjoy your glass of wine, cut flowers from your garden and display them in a vase, or enjoy the light emitting from a fixture in your home, you will remember Italy.
Comments
Post a Comment