THE ART OF VENICE GLASS CRAFTSMANSHIP

Glass is a bridge between history and the future.

Its roots come from Roman and Byzantine origins with its popularity starting in the fifteenth century and still reaching to the present day. When trade routes changed radically, Venetian glass started being used as a currency thanks to its practicality and superior durability, making Venice the world capital of glass production. In 1291, the need to reduce the risk of fire in Venice resulted in furnaces being transferred to Murano, turning the island into a real industrial area where master glassmakers turned silicon, metal oxides, and sand into fascinating, colourful glass shapes. The magic behind the glass production lies in the refined and unique techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation. These techniques have been protected by prohibiting the importation of foreign glass and by not disclosing the processes and production.

This tradition, with such a strong and extraordinary history, combines perfectly with the contemporary and innovative vision that WonderGlass aims to bring to light. The detail, the perception, the refraction, the color, and the lightness are some of the characteristics that, in the fusion between classic and contemporary, find balance in the production of WonderGlass.

WonderGlass plays with both of the most famous glass techniques in Venice: handmade blown glass and handcrafted cast glass. These refined, ancient abilities have been passed over from generation to generation.

Blown glass, or artistic glass, is produced mainly in Murano or Venice mainland furnaces by Master blowers. The blown glass Master, who is the key factor in the outcome, usually has 2 to 3 assistants that are responsible for a different task within the process. The blown glass technique involves the use of a long barrel, called a ‘blowpipe.’ By blowing into the blowpipe, the craftsman manually shapes a lump of molten glass that expands with the blow and originates a shape. Often, once detached from the barrel, the object is then artfully modeled by subjecting it to repeated heating and/or adding other elements.

Cast glass is achieved by pouring molten glass between laminating rollers directly from the oven. The characteristic translucency of this technique lets the light through but does not allow the clear vision of the objects placed behind the glass. This technique allows the creation of large panels and surfaces, as is shown in our Bouroullec Alcova and Nendo Melt collections.