HISTORY OF DESIGN OF GLASS IN VENICE

N.B. This class is organised by the Ca' Foscari School for International Education
(SIE). Students cannot attend classes or take exams if they are not officially
enrolled in the course. For further information on the SIE Italian language courses

for exchange students, please visit this webpage:
https://www.unive.it/courses-exchange

Venice is famous since centuries for the production of Murano glass. The course on the History of Venetian Glass Design aims to explore the history and reasons behind this great Italian excellence.
The course begins with a general introduction to the origins of glass in the Mediterranean basin and its spread throughout Europe, with particular attention to Pompeii and archaeological finds in the lagoon area (Venice and Veneto region). At this stage of the course, glassworking techniques will also be analyzed.

The lessons will then proceed in chronological order. The development of Murano glass between the 13th and 15th centuries: the birth of the master glassblower (role and technical inventions).
The technical inventions of the High Renaissance and the key figure of Angelo Barovier, with whom Murano glass became, to all intents and purposes, a luxury item that the Republic of Venice traded on the international market.

The great protagonist of the 18th century was Giuseppe Briati, who discovered a type of crystal glass ideal for the production of chandeliers, mirrors, deseri (centerpieces), and parade glassware.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Murano glass production experienced a period of great decline, but starting in the 1840s, signs of recovery came from the Radi and Bigaglia families, who paved the way for the arrival of Antonio Salviati (1859). Salviati was the architect of Murano's revival in the second half of the 19th century. He created an international market for the products that were beginning to be reproduced on the island after decades of decline and brought the mosaic technique to its highest level.

The transition to the new century 1895 was a pivotal year, with the first Venice Biennale and the Glass Exhibition in Murano awarding a prize to a twisted-stem cup by the Barovier artists, marking a departure from the historicist style that had dominated throughout the 19th century. Murano opened up to Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences from abroad.

The leading figure of the 18th century is The new leading figures of these early decades of the 20th century are Vittorio Zecchin, Napoleone Martinuzzi, Giacomo Cappellin, and Paolo Venini.
In particular, the last part of the course focuses on Venini's glassworks and his various collaborations with artists and designers such as Fulvio Bianconi, Tomaso Buzzi, Napoleone Martinuzzi, Gio Ponti, Carlo Scarpa, and others.

The final classes cover the great blow-masters and art director that marked the post-war period: Alfredo Barbini, Flavio Poli, Ercole Barovier, Antonio Da Ros, and some living artists such as Cristiano Bianchin, Maria Grazia Rosin, Tony Cragg, and Thomas Schutte.

After 30 hours spent between lectures—with slides—and two field trips, I expect students to be able to identify the period of the glass artifact they are looking at and describe its basic stylistic and technical characteristics.

Students are required to have a basic knowledge of English and a minimum of curiosity and interest in the subject. A general knowledge of European art history is recommended but not essential.

The course on the History of Venetian Glass Design aims to explore the history and techniques of Murano glass production over the centuries, starting with examples from archaeology and moving on to the great protagonists of past centuries, right up to the masters who are still alive today.

The main text on which to prepare for the exam is a manual: Attilia Dorigato, “Murano, An Island of Glass,” which will be provided in PDF format by the instructor.

The final test to assess the student's level of learning will consist solely of a written exam in which the student will be asked to describe three images relating to three glass objects taken from the manual provided to them.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The test results will be provided on 30 points: 18 will be the minimum score required to pass the exam and 30 will be the maximum score, to which, in some well deserving cases, the distinction of “Lode” (honors) may be added.

The classes, each lasting 2 hours, are frontal lesson, in class and in person (except in very rare cases online) and will be recorded for students who are absent with justification. Each topic will be addressed with the aid of slides. Students are encouraged to participate frequently in seminar-style discussions.
Two field visits are planned: one to the exhibition currently on display at Le Stanze del Vetro (1932-1942: The Murano glass at the Venice Biennale) and a second visit to the Centro Studi Vetro archives at the Fondazione G. Cini (Venice).

A detailed bibliography can be provided in cases of specific interest by the student.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development