Murano - A History of Glass pb (I Piccoli Di Arsenale) [Paperback]

Gianfraco Toso (Author)

Book Description

Series: I Piccoli Di Arsenale | Publication Date: July 27, 2006

Discusses the origins of glass production, describing methods used by the Egyptians and the Romans. The earliest evidence of glass-making in Murano dates form the 7th to the 8th centuries AD and this beautifully illustrated book traces the fascinatign histroy of the manufacture of Murano the present day, expressing hopes for the future.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Arsenale Editrice (July 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8877432152
• ISBN-13: 978-8877432155
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,535,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the subject., August 12, 2006

By 

Cas (the Idaho mountains) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murano - A History of Glass pb (I Piccoli Di Arsenale) (Paperback)

The book is about glass and how the Murano island glassmakers became the world leaders in the field. It's chock-full of facts, names, and dates -- maddenly without citations for the most part, and a very limited bibliography to boot. There are some irritating omissions -- for example, just how long WAS the forced vacation originally? When was it first legislated? As overviews go, it is fantastic, but it's not going to be a complete work on the subject.

It covers:
* a general world-level history of glass
* how glassmaking moved from Torcello to Murano
* how glassmakers lived and legislation regarding their vocation
* cristallo development and other artistic techniques (including enamelwork)
* how Murano's golden age began, and its subsequent downfall and decline
* glassmaking's rebirth in the modern age
* some information about modern Muranese works

There are a lot of color photos here that will, I am sure, satisfy any glasswork fanatic. It's a tiny little book, smaller than a paperback novel, but there's a lot of information here. Just don't go into it thinking this is going to be some scholarly paper with tons of citations. It's a popular history with the goal in mind of making people more interested in Murano glass.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good reading, June 25, 2007

By 

B. Nielsen "HEADHUNTER" (FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Murano - A History of Glass pb (I Piccoli Di Arsenale) (Paperback)

This book is good for reading on the train to work. And also to date, possibly identify, a piece of glass you have. But not the type of book it is advertised to be; A pocket Reference Guide. Rare and one-of-a-kind items are interesting, but what ordinary person would ever see those in person? Or anything even similar? We thumbed through it at the shop and laughed the whole time.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book on the Art of Glass making, November 27, 2007

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murano - A History of Glass pb (I Piccoli Di Arsenale) (Paperback)

Murano Glass, often called Venetian glass is made on the island of Murano. The glassblowers were forced to move their factories to the island by the Venetian Republic in 1291. The reason being that the factories represented a fire hazard the buildings of Venice. The glass blowers and their families soon became the leading citizens of the island, some even being allowed to wed into the blue-blooded families of Venice.

One of the things that made the glassmakers of Murano so important was that they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make a mirror. There craft was so closely guarded that they were not allowed to set up in business anywhere outside the Venetian lagoon, to do so, they risked being killed in the night for their troubles.

The book covers all this type of history and the development of the glass process through the ages, from Roman times up to the present day and there are some fine illustrations of the art of the glass maker. There is still a thriving glass industry on the island and many homes throughout the world will have a piece of Murano glass sitting on a shelf somewhere, even though the owner may not know its place of origin.