In early 2020 we had the privilege of visiting the VENINI manufacture in Murano, Italy.
For almost 100 years, master glassblowers and artists have met, collaborated and produced exquisite pieces of art, and many of the techniques remain unchanged today.
COLOURS
VENINI's ample colour palette is absolutely unique, unrivalled in the Murano glassmaking scene. Each of the 125 colours has its own recipe; it starts off from there and evolves into a variety of ever-changing shades.
Glass is mainly composed of ultra-pure silica sand and metal oxides, which are variably combined together so as to create extremely different effects in terms of colour and intensity,
During the evening, this compound is melted at extremely high temperatures. Here, minerals turn into molten magma that has its own specific colour. Glass is then fired, a long process that lasts all night, with raw materials being heated in the furnace at temperatures of approximately 1400 degrees celsius.
At dawn, the molten glass is ready to be shaped and blown by the master glassblowers.
MASTER GLASSMAKERS
In the world of glassmaking, there are no schools, just teachers: the master glassmakers. They are the custodians of knowledge which is passed down through generations; unique teachings and experiences, transmitted orally and through gestures.
Glassblowing is an art; it takes dedication, patience and constant practice. The master glassmakers start work at dawn, testing glass strength. If it doesn't break, they can go on with their task and start creating objects.
They use the same tools as those employed in ancient times and each master has his own. The most frequently used tool is the blowpipe: air is blown into the molten glass which is then rapidly shaped using tweezers, rods and shears.
FINISHING
Every glass creation speaks of ancient knowledge, an art that has been refined and improved over the past centuries thanks to the skillful gestures of the master glassblowers.
But the final stages of this artful process require meticulous attention to detail, and skills equally passed down through the generations of craftsmen.
THE MAKER'S SIGNATURE
Each VENINI piece is individually signed by its maker; your guarantee of attention to detail, heritage and ancient knowledge.
Discover more about VENINI on our website.