Murano Glass - Venice: A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper and More - page 18

white; and copper and iron to achieve hues of red so varied and greatly valued that Venetian
dialect has not one but many different words for “red.”
Traditionally, a glass furnace is a three-story structure with firewood on the ground
level, the main oven or crucible in the center, and another furnace at the top that operates
at a lower temperature than the one below. The glassblowing process begins when a spe-
cialized glass artisan called a gaffer lifts a molten blob from the furnace on the end of a
blowpipe. Next, he blows through the mouthpiece, then, twists, pulls, and cuts the shape.
The gaffer may also roll or press it against a smooth table surface called a marver. Special
tongs and other glassmaking tools forged by a blacksmith are then used to form handles,
spouts, stems, and other shapes. The gaffer continues to work the piece until it results in its
final form—a goblet, a plate, a vase, or another type of object.

A MURANO TRADEMARK?

Recently an organization called Promovetro / Artistic Glass Murano has
brought together glassmakers and others concerned about the influx of cheap
replicas crowding the marketplace for Murano glass. They created a trade-
mark that is officially recognized and legally protected under regional law. Par-
ticipation in the group is voluntary, but many of the Murano glassmakers have
joined and actively promote the trademark as a way to guarantee authenticity.
Look for the Vetro Artistico ® Murano trademark, usually applied as a sticker

on individual glass pieces.

Another way to form glass is through lampworking. Lampworking refers simply to the
way in which the glass is heated. Instead of heating the mixture in a furnace and blowing
glass through a blowpipe, some glassmakers melt the glass using a handheld torch instead.
In past centuries, lampwork was accomplished using a torch or an oil lamp, hence the ori-
gin of the name of this technique. Now glassmakers tend to use torches fueled from gas
canisters. Lampwork may be used to create any type of vessel or object, and allows for
maximum control and intricate detail.
This basic process of glassmaking has remained unchanged for centuries. However,
Venetian glassmakers have developed and refined many specialized—and purely Vene-
tian—types of glass, such as the popular flowerlike patterns known as millefiori , enameled
or incised glass, glass infused with gold leaf, and other works that appear to imitate pre-