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The Glass Cathedral - Santa Chiara offers an unparalleled browsing and shopping experience for authentic Murano glass. Our growing and changing collection includes everything from grand chandeliers to charming millefiore lemonade glasses, contemporary sculpture and jewelry, and everything in between.
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Learn about Murano Glass at The Glass Cathedral - Santa Chiara Murano
Every piece of authentic Murano glass, from the ancient to the contemporary, is inspired the more than 1000 years of the practice of this art in Venice and on the Island of Murano. The Venetian glass masters have been the global pioneers of glass arts since the year 998 A.D. and Murano has been the center of this art in Venice since 1291. Working at the intersection of art and science, the Murano glass masters invented the world's first truly clear glass, cristallo Veneziano, and innumerable unique colors and textures of glass. With these materials, working before furnaces reaching temperatures as high as 1700 degrees celsius, they apply their imaginations and creativity to achieve an impossible array of handmade glass objects. Many, now globally recognized, styles of shaping and decorating glass found their origins on Murano.
Explore Our Collection of Murano Glass
Lampadari; Murano Glass ChandeliersMore About Murano Glass Chandeliers
In the 1700's the Murano glass masters responded to a crisis of competition from other European glassworkers by revolutionizing the style and design of interior lighting. Venetian glass master Giuseppe Briati is credited with having invented an intricately detailed chandelier adorned with hand-sculpted leaves and flowers. This style became and instant success among the nobility of Europe. Today, Murano glass chandeliers remain the most widely recognized, admired and wanted chandeliers in the world.
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Specchi; Murano Glass Mirrors
More about murano glass mirrors
There were two key points in the history of Murano glass that contributed significantly to Murano's status a leader in producing glass mirrors. The first was the invention on Murano of truly clear glass, cristallo Veneziano, in the mid-1400's. The second was the invention, by Murano glass master Vicenzo Redor, in the mid-1500's of the process of perfectly leveling and shining glass. Diamond-point engraving and decoration with hand-sculpted flowers have been the signature Murano style of decorating mirrors from the late 1600's onwards.
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Millefiore; Murrine GlassMore about murrine Murano glass
Perhaps the most famous, and most often faked, style of Murano glass is Millefiore; Murrine glass. A technique developed during Roman times, and revived and modernized by the Venetian glass masters during the 15th century, Millefiore (thousand flowers) are achieved by first creating thin glass rods of various colors, heating and cutting them, then welding the pieces back together into a piece showing a thousand flowers.
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Murano Glass DesignMore About Murano Glass Design
The forms and styles of Murano glass have constantly evolved, both to suit public taste and also to satisfy the creativity of the Murano glass masters. But, from intricately flowered chandeliers to the smooth lines and bold colors of today, they have always incorporated the techniques of old. The golden flecks in this modern piece are achieved by layering molten glass with thin gold leaf, a technique developed on Murano during the 15th century.
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Murano Reticello Glassmore about reticello Murano glass
The gorgeous criss-crossed patterns of reticello glass are achieved using a very complex technique developed by the Murano glass masters during the 16th centurty. The creation of these delicate pieces actually involves creating and fusing two bowls of glass, each with fine canes of colored glass laid in one direction or the other, together.
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Intricate Murano Glass Goblets; "Tipetti"more about Murano Glass Tipetti
During the baroque period, the glass masters of Murano responded to competition from other European glass producers by infusing their work with ever more intricate combinations of shapes and colors. Murano glass goblets with intricately sculpted stems, often including swans, snakes or flowers, were coveted by nobility throughout Europe.
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Sommerso (Submerged) Murano GlassMore About Sommerso murano glass
Sommerso is a fairly modern technique, developed on Murano in the 1930's, in which layers of different colors of molten glass are wrapped around each other. In the case of sommerso aquarium sculptures like the one shown here, each fish, stone and piece of sea grass is a separate sculpture in itself. Those pieces are made by lampwork over open flames. They are then placed and wrapped in molten clear glass to create the visual effect of the aquarium.
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A Lume (Lampworked) Murano Glass
more about murano glass lampwork
Lampworking is actually among the most ancient techniques for creating delicate glass objects, practiced on Murano since the Renaissance. Before the invention of blowtorches, a stream of air was forced through the flame of an oil lamp and thus used to heat the glass. The ability to heat and reheat small parts of a piece enabled the Murano glass masters to create ever more detailed pieces. Contemporary Murano glass masters create sculptures, beads and even large goblets using this technique of working glass.
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