Are you someone who loves unique home accessories? Perhaps you are not thrilled about mass-produced and cheap-looking minimalist home decor? Or looking for a way to show your love of Italy? Then you may fall in love with a Murano Glass vase! A Murano Glass vase is more than just a nice glassware piece to hold flowers or decorate your home. It represents a thousand years of craftsmanship, the evolution of glassware and the concept of art glass, and of course the Italian sense of sophistication and class.
The Value and Uniqueness of Murano Glass
Murano Glass vases are appreciated worldwide not only for their beauty and unique bold designs but also for their exceptional handcrafted quality and artistic value. This value comes from both the long history of this craft and from the methods used to create Murano Glass. Murano Glass as a craft is very old. It became known as such in 1291 when by the decree of the Venetian Republic’s government all glass furnaces had to be moved from the city of Venice to the island of Murano.
However, even before this historical event, glass masters in Venice and before them, those in Rome have been making glassware using the same methods and techniques. The first glass furnaces in the Venice area that archeologists found date back to the 8th century. The most likely explanation for this finding is that the craft was established in Venice a few hundred years before then. Romans running from the Barbarian attacks settled in the unwelcoming marshy area of the Venetian Lagoon and must have brought their glassmaking skills with them.
Murano Glass is made using a crafting process that relies only on human skill and virtuosity, not on any machines. From its humble beginning in the 13th century, multiple techniques were developed or rediscovered, including Millefiori (known in Italy as “murrina”), Reticello, Gold and Silver Leaf, Sommerso, and Scavo. These techniques are not taught in any trade schools but passed down through generations, which makes them rare and difficult to reproduce.
Famous Creators of Murano Glass Vases
Many famous Murano Glass artisans experimented with Murano Glass vases, seeing them as perfect objects to showcase their fantasy and skill. Paolo Venini is well known even outside of Italy for his artistic creations that crossed the boundaries of various artistic movements. His minimalist designs and bold colors somehow merged with traditional designs like Fazzoletto and ancient techniques such as Millefiori and Filigrana resulting in rare Murano Glass vases that are highly valued in today’s vintage Murano Glass market.
Alfredo Barbini is another famous Murano artist who experimented with shapes and colors, merging modern designs with a technique called “scavo” intended to mimic archeological glass finds in Pompeii and other areas of ancient culture.
Murano Glass Art in Museums
If you wish to see the wide variety of Murano Glass creations before picking a Murano vase of your own, you can head to several museums that dedicate all or part of their collection to Murano Glass. The best known in this space is, of course, The Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro) in Murano itself. It is unique in the breadth of its collection, allowing for a deep dive into the history and evolution of Murano glassmaking. This museum houses pieces from the Roman period, the Rosetta millefiori trade beads used as a currency in Venetian trade with Africa, as well as elaborate sculptures, vases, goblets, and table settings from the 15th century onwards.
Elsewhere, The Corning Museum of Glass in New York state in the USA, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London also have large and important collections of Murano Glass. This underscores its global importance and shows the wide range of styles and techniques developed by the Venetian glass artisans.
Choosing the Perfect Murano Glass Vase
Selecting a Murano Glass vase is not just about finding a beautiful object that you like; it’s about finding a piece that has the right aesthetics for your home and the specific area where you intend to place it. Here are some tips for choosing the perfect vase:
- Consider the Style of Your Home: Whether your home is decorated in a modern, minimalist, traditional, industrial, or BoHo chic style, you can find a Murano Glass vase to complement your decor or serve as an accent for your design. For modern spaces, look for vases with minimalist shapes, geometrical designs, and bold colors. Traditional spaces call for Millefiori designs and classic shapes like fazzoletto or pitcher.
- The color scheme is important. If your design features an industrial-style monochrome or muted color scheme, pick a vase in one color that will complement those you already have. If the home is by the sea and has sea-inspired touches, vases in the shades of blue and aqua, as well as forms of wave or fish will work well.
- Think About the Purpose: Are you looking for a vase to be a centerpiece, be it on a dining table or an accent table, or do you want something to display on a mantle to mix in with other pieces you already have? The purpose will dictate the size, color, and shape of the vase you should choose.
- Color and Light: Murano Glass vases are known for their rich colors and the way the change shade intensity or even the shade itself when they interact with light. Consider where you intend to place the vase and how the lighting in that area at different times of day will play off the glass.
- Authenticity Matters: Because of high the value and popularity of Murano Glass, many fakes exist in the market. It is hard to overstate the importance of making sure that you are purchasing an authentic piece. Even if you are shopping in Venice, look for the label or signature of the master, a certificate of authenticity, or a “Vetro Artistico® Murano” trademark. The latter is a consortium of some (but not all) Murano Glass producers which place a special label on each of their items to guarantee that the item was made on the island of Murano using the traditional methods of Murano glassmaking.
Bring Italian Art Into Your Home
A Murano Glass vase is one of the best objects for artisans to showcase their skill and artistic ability. It allows them to experiment with techniques, styles, and colors, layering glass in intricate ways, turning it from a molten blob into a masterpiece. Moreover, it is a piece of history, a representation of a millennium of artistic innovation, and a symbol of Italian craftsmanship at its finest. You don’t have to be an avid collector or an expert in Murano Glass to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of this glassware and to pick out one or more Murano vases to complement your decor and remind you of Italy.
