A mirror has always been a suggestive element. Jim Morrison said, "Remember that life is like a mirror:she smiles at you if you look at her smile."Roman Price, the founder of social motivational website LifePulp.com, wrote: "If you’re still looking for that one person who will change your life, take a look in the mirror.”
From aphorisms to cinema, from poetry to animated design classics, from music to everyday life, the mirror crosses our path in many situations. It is a useful object but has always been a decorative element of great importance in the aesthetics of a home, a palace,and an office as well.
History of Venetian Mirror: From Its Origins in Versailles to the Present Day
From aphorisms to cinema, from poetry to animated design classics, from music to everyday life, the mirror crosses our path in many situations. It is a useful object but has always been a decorative element of great importance in the aesthetics of a home, a palace,and an office as well.
History of Venetian Mirror: From Its Origins in Versailles to the Present Day
The Venetian mirror, one of the most renowned facets of Murano glassware tradition, adds to the usefulness and sense of taste of a multi-century tradition that has been refining over time without ever betraying the fundamental principles from which it had originated.
After a first production dated back to 1369, the Venetian mirror had under gone two fundamental moments in its phase of early development; first, the introduction of crystal glass in the middle of the fifteenth century, thanks to the inventor Angelo Barovier and second, the definition of an effective and functional process of polishing glass plates by Vincenzo Redor in 1540, which makes this reflective object to be a real marvel of the sixteenth century design.
From that moment on, artisans and artists involved in the creation of mirrors have consolidated their fame internationally, taking on a prominent role within the Serenissima. An example is the case of Gerolamo Barbin, born in 1661, who, enticed by the Minister of Finance Jean-Baptiste Colbert, went along with some of his colleagues to Louis XIV France, despite the restrictions of the Republic of Venice on the export of this kind of precious knowledge. There he worked for a few years at the Manufacturing Royale des glaces de miroirs, in the Parisian district of Saint Antonine, and even came to work at Mirror Gallery in Versailles. Expressing the desire to repatriate, thanks to his unique ability and creativity, he obtained the approval of Venice and resumed his production in the lagoon.
How is a Venetian or Murano glass mirror realized? Following are the 7 key steps involved. Even today the expertise and inventiveness of Murano artists come to the fore in all the fundamental steps needed to create these extraordinary handmade objects.
1. As the preliminary step, the design of the mirror is materialized based on the measurements and the study of the "light", the arrangement of the glass parts which will then, in their reciprocal matching, compose the mirror as if it were a puzzle or a mosaic. Unlike jigsaw puzzles and mosaics, however, the Venetian mirror usually does not consist of many small fragments, but of a small number of marginal sections that go to form the perimeter of a broader reflective surface.
2. Then a wooden structure is madein dimensions suitable to accommodate both the mirror that is being prepared and the frames that will accompany it.
3. Once the glass plate has been cut to the desired size,the surface is wisely engraved with the most varied decorations, from floral textures to bucolic scenes of the Renaissance taste, from miniatures of static or moving animals to representations of mythological events or characters.
4. Silver is then poured on the plate.This is an extremely delicate procedure, in which the skill of the craftsman has the task of not letting impurities and spreading a silvery veil of homogeneous thickness.
5. If required, an aging chemical treatment is performed based on specific compositions capable of giving the mirror all the charm of vintage taste.
6. The mirrors are then placed inside frames often very elaborate (almost a work of art in a work of art), laminated in gold or silver and fastened with nails with covered top in glass.
7. Venetian mirrors can be completed with the grafting of crystal decorations along the margins, additional elements that can further embellish an already-effective creation itself. These crystal sculptures are made in Muranese furnaces and generally represent floral subjects such as leaves, flowers or little branches, and have carefully selected colors (by designers, mirror artisans or customers) in order to create chromatic effects of refined taste.
After a first production dated back to 1369, the Venetian mirror had under gone two fundamental moments in its phase of early development; first, the introduction of crystal glass in the middle of the fifteenth century, thanks to the inventor Angelo Barovier and second, the definition of an effective and functional process of polishing glass plates by Vincenzo Redor in 1540, which makes this reflective object to be a real marvel of the sixteenth century design.
From that moment on, artisans and artists involved in the creation of mirrors have consolidated their fame internationally, taking on a prominent role within the Serenissima. An example is the case of Gerolamo Barbin, born in 1661, who, enticed by the Minister of Finance Jean-Baptiste Colbert, went along with some of his colleagues to Louis XIV France, despite the restrictions of the Republic of Venice on the export of this kind of precious knowledge. There he worked for a few years at the Manufacturing Royale des glaces de miroirs, in the Parisian district of Saint Antonine, and even came to work at Mirror Gallery in Versailles. Expressing the desire to repatriate, thanks to his unique ability and creativity, he obtained the approval of Venice and resumed his production in the lagoon.
How is a Venetian or Murano glass mirror realized? Following are the 7 key steps involved. Even today the expertise and inventiveness of Murano artists come to the fore in all the fundamental steps needed to create these extraordinary handmade objects.
1. As the preliminary step, the design of the mirror is materialized based on the measurements and the study of the "light", the arrangement of the glass parts which will then, in their reciprocal matching, compose the mirror as if it were a puzzle or a mosaic. Unlike jigsaw puzzles and mosaics, however, the Venetian mirror usually does not consist of many small fragments, but of a small number of marginal sections that go to form the perimeter of a broader reflective surface.
2. Then a wooden structure is madein dimensions suitable to accommodate both the mirror that is being prepared and the frames that will accompany it.
3. Once the glass plate has been cut to the desired size,the surface is wisely engraved with the most varied decorations, from floral textures to bucolic scenes of the Renaissance taste, from miniatures of static or moving animals to representations of mythological events or characters.
4. Silver is then poured on the plate.This is an extremely delicate procedure, in which the skill of the craftsman has the task of not letting impurities and spreading a silvery veil of homogeneous thickness.
5. If required, an aging chemical treatment is performed based on specific compositions capable of giving the mirror all the charm of vintage taste.
6. The mirrors are then placed inside frames often very elaborate (almost a work of art in a work of art), laminated in gold or silver and fastened with nails with covered top in glass.
7. Venetian mirrors can be completed with the grafting of crystal decorations along the margins, additional elements that can further embellish an already-effective creation itself. These crystal sculptures are made in Muranese furnaces and generally represent floral subjects such as leaves, flowers or little branches, and have carefully selected colors (by designers, mirror artisans or customers) in order to create chromatic effects of refined taste.
You can explore a host of authentic Murano glass mirrors handmade using the above 7 fundamental steps at OriginalMuranoGlass.com – a big Murano-based online shop for Venetian glass objects. It is home to exquisite selections of Venetian glass lamps and chandeliers, blown glass figurines, hand blown drinking glasses, glass bowls for centerpieces, exclusive vases, beaded jewelry, gift items for various occasions, and so on. If you love art glass, the website is definitely worth visiting.
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