[Lisa C.]

Venice, Italy is best known for the picturesque “streets of water, the many bridges connecting the 150 small islands, the water taxis and perhaps most of all, gondolas being paddled through the narrow canals where no cars would dare pass. But there is more to Venice than gondolas and water ways, the group of islands also has some of the most skilled glass blowers in the world. On a recent trip to Venice, a group of 65 high school students was given a glimpse into the inside world of the art of glass blowing, a craft that dates back as far as 200 BC. At the Galleria San Marco, students entered into a store front filled with some of the most colorful, intricate designs of glass art that are created today. As they meandered their way through the factory, they were taken to see how both a vase and a decorative horse was made.

Upon entering a room where glass masters work their craft, one could feel the intense heat given off by the furnace, the mechanism where the potash, limestone, sand and soda ash is heated into a molten mixture at over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. To attain color within a finished piece of glass, the molten mixture is combined with other elements in order to achieve the desired color.

To sculpt a piece, the craftsman begins by removing a specific amount of the glowing molten glass from the furnace with a blowpipe, which is preheated by dipping it into the molten glass while sitting in the furnace. A ball of molten glass gathers on one end of the blowpipe and the craftsman removes it from the furnace and rolls it over a flat sheet of thick steel called a marver, which gives a cool exterior layer to the glass which allows the final piece to be shaped. The craftsman then blows into the end of the blowpipe opposite the molten glass to create a bubble that will be the shape of the final piece. Since the exterior was cooled over the marver, the glass is able to hold the shape that was given as the craftsman blew into the pipe.

To add detail to the creation, the artist uses a special set of tweezers in order to pull the molten glass into the shape desired. As the glass begins to cool down, the shapes hold, and one can begin to see the final color of the finished product. For a flat surface to be attained on the piece, the artist uses a mechanism called a paddle, in order to manipulate the cooling glass into a smooth surface. The final product is removed from the end of the blowpipe and allowed to cool to its final room temperature. As it cools, it attains its strength and rigidity.

The artist at the Murano Glass Factory was met with a barrage of questions, particularly regarding the coloration of glass. To achieve the deep green hue that is very popular among the locals, copper is added to the mixture as it is melted in the furnace. In order to achieve blue, different amounts of cobalt are added depending on the desired shade of blue. The darker the blue needed, the more cobalt that is added to the mixture.

After the demonstration, visitors are led into a showroom where they can see some of the hand crafted pieces that are both for sale at the given time, or that have been custom made and are being shipped to patrons. Clients can even design their own piece, which then is made into a glass reality by the master craftsmen.

Though Venice is perhaps best known for gondolas and water ways, Venetian glass is a timeless art which is still prevalent in the area. Customers can take a tour of the Murano Glass Factory into the San Marco Gallery and discover for themselves the art of this ancient tradition.