Venetian glass

by Sheldon Barr

"Antonio Salviati (1816-1890) found run-down Venice fascinating and decided to move there in 1851. He soon found two similarly inspired allies - Muranese abbot and glass historian Vincenzo Zanetti (1824-1883) who longed to revive Venice's historic arts of mosaic-making and glass-blowing, and Antonio Colleoni (1810-1885), the Mayor of Murano, who wanted to resurrect the moribund industries in order to provide much needed employment for the people of his island. The author describes how they set about revitalizing a number of industries which had been sources of both great wealth and pride in the past." "The recovered art of Venetian glass mosaics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is now seen as one of the most important aesthetic achievements of the Victorian-Edwardian era. Whether on highly visible monuments in major cities or small parish churches, the mosaic achievements of Venetian manufacturers are now treasured for the splendid masterpieces they are and it is they