On Murano, Making Glass for More Than 700 Years
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the Murano glassmakers The Murano glassmakers In this aerial shot taken by an air ambulance at about 8:00 a.m. local time on June 16, 2015, a man is seen clinging to a life raft on a river near Murano, Italy. The man is injured after being caught in a boat accident. The glassmaker in this image is located at a small studio in the small village of Ponzoleno, where production of one of the Murano glassware works has been on-going for more than 700 years. This particular piece is an unglazed pot. This piece is on loan from the Murano glassworks and from the National Bank of Italy. It will be shown at the Museo Nazionale delle Ceramica (MNC) in Rome. The first pot to be made in the studio of master glassmaker Alesso Barbaro in 1709 is also part of the loan show. The masterpieces have been on loan since 1843. After the earthquake and fires in 1866, they were moved to the Museo Civico in the city, where they are on display. As Barbaro, who died in 1866, told an Italian reporter, “These pieces speak to me of what is most precious to me. They are my memories of my youth.” The masterpieces have been on loan since 1843. After the earthquake and fires in 1866, they were moved to the Museo Civico in the city, where they were on display. As Barbaro, who died in 1866, told an Italian reporter, “These pieces speak to me of what is most precious to me.” Courtesy of the Murano glassmakers
Museo Nazionale delle Ceramica (MNC)
After spending half of his life in a hot and smoky glass factory in the northern Italian city of Savona, Alesso Barbaro made his name by inventing and perfecting a method for making clear glasses with very low losses of color. The process was revolutionary at the time, creating glass that was more refractive than those made by melting and pouring and, instead of losing colors, it made them “whiter,” he said. Barbaro also made clear glass that was not only more refractive, but also, if heated to a higher