 Barovier, Murano, Venice (right). Photo by Paolo Monti, 1968. | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Genre | Glass products |
| Founded | Italy |
Barovier & Toso is an Italian company that specializes in Venetian glass. [1]
| Barovier, Murano, Venice (right). Photo by Paolo Monti, 1968. | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Genre | Glass products |
| Founded | Italy |
Barovier & Toso is an Italian company that specializes in Venetian glass. [1]
The company is one of the oldest family businesses in the world, founded in 1295 as Barovier. [2] "The name Barovier derives from the term berroviere (highwayman/policeman [3] ), which indicates the armigero (person entitled to bear arms [4] ) guarding the captain of the people. It is probable that some Barovier, originally from Treviso, settled in Murano around 1291, when a law of the Republic imposed the concentration on the island of all glass furnaces." [5] Jacobello was the first member of the Barovier family to work glass at this time. [6] It is thought that the company originated in Treviso [ citation needed ]. The Toso family had been established in Murano since around 1350. [7] In the 1400s Angelo Barovier created glass objects which are currently preserved in various museums. [6] Angelo is recognized as significant for uniting the knowledge which had been developed and handed down by the Barovier family. He was not only considered and artist but a scientist.
The company became Ferro Toso Vetrerie Artistiche Riunite S.A in 1936 when Vetreria Artistica Barovier merged with Ferro Toso, specializing in crystalline glass, mother-of-pearl glass, and gold-free cornelian red glass.. In 1942, the company was renamed Barovier & Toso. [8]
In 1919–1920, 30 year old designer Ercole Barovier began a 50-year career as the artistic director of Barovier & Toso. [9] "After studying medicine and working as a radio operator during World War One he joined the family firm in 1920 when he and his brother Nicolo took over the management from their father Benvenuto. From 1927 Ercole was the main designer and from 1934, when Nicolo left the company, (he was) also the sole owner." [10] While Barovier did not have formal training as a glassblower, his artistic designs produced objets d'art that have become the most critically acclaimed in the history of Ercole - Barovier. [9] In 1930 he produced his award-winning “Primavera” series. [11] "The Primavera series ... is distinguished by a milky white 'craquelé ' glass with the addition of black or blue pasta vitrea trim ("opaque colored glass whose consistency is made to appear like ceramic") [12] and decoration. There was a very limited production of this series due to the fact that it was a result of a glass mixture obtained accidentally so it could never be replicated." [13] One example of this series, a Primavera Pigeon, was sold at auction for GBP 275,000 (approximately $360,000 USD, not inclusive of the buyer’s premium) on October 16, 2019. [14]
Barovier continued to produce innovative designs of which the “Lenti” vase series is an example. “Lenti” was produced in 1940. [15] This vase was a dual ‘layer’ vase. This type of vase is sometimes referred to as 'cased'. “Cased glass combines glass layers of contrasting color, or a colored layer blown with a clear one. The interior layer is, in effect, encased in the exterior … Looking into the interior of a cased object will reveal a color different than that of the exterior. One of the first known examples of cased glass, the Portland Vase, dates from the reign of Roman emperor Caesar Augustus.” [16] The first outer layer of the Lenti vase consisted of a series of clear thick convex semi-globular forms in which small thin leaves of pure gold are suspended. The inner thin layer of the vase was made of a brightly colored glass. The clear outer portion of the vase reflects the color of the inner vase while creating an optical illusion (due to the magnification effect of the convex shaped glass) of large ‘moving’ gold leaves. [17] This series was produced in colors that vary and include cerulean blue, aqua blue, emerald green, lime green and crimson red. [18]
Barovier & Toso, under the direction, of Ercole Barovier, won numerous awards during the 1940s and 1950s for innovations in the murrine technique. [19] Murrine technique begins with the layering of colored liquid glass, heated to 1500-1700F or above, which is then stretched into long rods called canes. When cooled, these canes are then sliced in cross-sections, which reveals the layered pattern. [20] A 9+1⁄2-inch high vase created by the Murrine technique by Ercole Barovier and described as a “1930, clear murrines (vase) edged in red with aventurine” was offered at auction on May 20, 2014. "Prior to sale estimates from the auction house gave an anticipated value of $ 15,000 - 20,000 (USD). The final bid was $ 317,000 (USD) not inclusive of the buyer’s premium. [21] Buyer’s premium at fine art auctions houses will generally add an additional 20-25% (of the final winning bid amount) to the final total price. [22]
In the early 1990s, Barovier & Toso manufactured the chandeliers in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. [23]
The company is located in the Palazzo Contarini in Murano, Italy. As of November 15, 2018, Rinaldo Invernizzi is serving as President of the “world’s most antique glass works”. [24] In 2018, the headquarters of Barovier & Toso underwent a total internal renovation. “The building, just steps away from the historical headquarters of the company (was redesigned) by the Milanese studio Calvi Brambilla. Invernizzi said, “It is a project which means very much to us, confirming our commitment toward a policy of constant growth … Having reached this great result, we celebrate our history, our specialized workers and our extraordinary glass masterpieces, a winning combination of innovation and tradition, art and design”. [24]
In 2006, Barovier & Toso recorded $18 million in sales, three quarters coming from exports. [23]
Émile Gallé was a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement. He was noted for his designs of Art Nouveau glass art and Art Nouveau furniture, and was a founder of the École de Nancy or Nancy School, a movement of design in the city of Nancy, France.
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about 1.5 km (1 mi) north of Venice and measures about 1.5 km (1 mi) across with a population of just over 5,000. It is famous for its glass making. It was once an independent comune, but is now a frazione of the comune of Venice.
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. A person who blows glass is called a glassblower, glassmith, or gaffer. A lampworker manipulates glass with the use of a torch on a smaller scale, such as in producing precision laboratory glassware out of borosilicate glass.
Carlo Scarpa was an Italian architect and designer. He was influenced by the materials, landscape, and history of Venetian culture, as well as that of Japan. Scarpa translated his interests in history, regionalism, invention, and the techniques of the artist and craftsman into ingenious glass and furniture design.
Millefiori is a glasswork technique which produces distinctive decorative patterns on glassware. The term millefiori is a combination of the Italian words "mille" (thousand) and "fiori" (flowers). Apsley Pellatt in his book Curiosities of Glass Making was the first to use the term "millefiori", which appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1849; prior to that, the beads were called mosaic beads. While the use of this technique long precedes the term "millefiori", it is now most frequently associated with Venetian glassware.
Venetian glass is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techniques, as well as gilding, enamel, or engraving. Production has been concentrated on the Venetian island of Murano since the 13th century. Today Murano is known for its art glass, but it has a long history of innovations in glassmaking in addition to its artistic fame—and was Europe's major center for luxury glass from the High Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance. During the 15th century, Murano glassmakers created cristallo—which was almost transparent and considered the finest glass in the world. Murano glassmakers also developed a white-colored glass that looked like porcelain. They later became Europe's finest makers of mirrors.
Chevron beads are special glass beads; the first specimens of this type were created by glass bead makers in Venice and Murano, Italy, toward the end of the 14th century. The first examples were invented by Marietta Barovier. They may also be referred to as rosetta, or star beads. The term rosetta first appeared in the inventory of the Barovier Glass works in Murano, in 1496, in context with beads as well as with other glass objects.
Murrine are colored patterns or images made in a glass cane that are revealed when the cane is cut into thin cross-sections. Murrine can be made in infinite designs from simple circular or square patterns to complex detailed designs to even portraits of people. One familiar style is the flower or star shape which, when used together in large numbers from a number of different canes, is called millefiori.
In glassblowing, cane refers to rods of glass with color; these rods can be simple, containing a single color, or they can be complex and contain strands of one or several colors in pattern. Caneworking refers to the process of making cane, and also to the use of pieces of cane, lengthwise, in the blowing process to add intricate, often spiral, patterns and stripes to vessels or other blown glass objects. Cane is also used to make murrine, thin discs cut from the cane in cross-section that are also added to blown or hot-worked objects. A particular form of murrine glasswork is millefiori, in which many murrine with a flower-like or star-shaped cross-section are included in a blown glass piece.
Lino Tagliapietra is an Italian glass artist originally from Venice, who has also worked extensively in the United States. As a teacher and mentor, he has played a key role in the international exchange of glassblowing processes and techniques between the principal American centers and his native Murano, "but his influence is also apparent in China, Japan, and Australia—and filters far beyond any political or geographic boundaries."
A glossary of terms used in glass art
Pauly & C. - Compagnia Venezia Murano is one of the oldest glass factories of Murano: it was founded more than 150 years ago. The company produces glass art, most notably Roman murrine, mosaics and chandeliers.
Cameo glass is a luxury form of glass art produced by cameo glass engraving or etching and carving through fused layers of differently colored glass to produce designs, usually with white opaque glass figures and motifs on a dark-colored background. The technique is first seen in ancient Roman art of about 30 BC, where it was an alternative to the more luxurious engraved gem vessels in cameo style that used naturally layered semi-precious gemstones such as onyx and agate. Glass allowed consistent and predictable colored layers, even for round objects.
Paolo Venini emerged as one of the leading figures in the production of Murano glass and an important contributor to twentieth century Italian design. He is known for having founded the eponymous Venini & C. glassworks.
Glass art refers to individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. It ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glass jewelry and tableware.
The Murano Glass Museum is a museum on the history of glass, including local Murano glass, located on the island of Murano, just north of Venice, Italy.
The Seguso family has been dedicated to the art of Murano glass in Venice since May 3, 1397. Seguso is one of the most esteemed, historical and respected glass manufacturers on the island, and among the largest glass furnaces in Murano, which has a few, homonymous furnaces. Glass made by the Seguso furnace can be found in over 75 museums worldwide, such as MOMA in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Today, Seguso is known for its high end Venetian glass objects, lighting, accessories and custom installations. Seguso glass has been made for the Pope, Royalty and numerous luxury interiors throughout the world.
Flavio Poli (1900-1984) was an Italian artist, known for his designs in glass.
The Frauenau Glass Museum in Frauenau in the Lower Bavarian county of Regen, previously a communal facility, has become a state-owned organisation since early 2014 called the State Museum of the History of Glass Culture run by the Free State of Bavaria. The museum curator is the art-historian, Karin Rühl.
Magazzino Italian Art is a museum and Research Center dedicated to advancing scholarship and public appreciation of postwar and contemporary Italian art in the United States. The museum was founded by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu with the mission to share works of the group of Italian artists who exhibited together in the late 1960s and early 1970s, affiliated with the art movement of Arte Povera, with American audiences. Magazzino opened to the public on June 28, 2017, with an exhibition dedicated to the influence and legacy of Margherita Stein, a late Italian dealer associated with artists active in Arte Povera circles and beyond. The museum is free and open to the public.
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