Murano Venetian Glass Art Glass Fish A stunning Venetian hand blown glass fish, made on the island of Murano, near Venice, Italy. Decorated with yellow, red and blues. Size: H:cm x L:cm x W:cm Made in Italy Condition: There is a slight chip on the last fin that is visible in the photos but very hard to detect otherwise. Murano glass is made on the Venetian Island of Murano, which has been a glassmaking center for over 700 years. It is also sometimes referred to as Venetian glass. 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 first major glassmaking center. Although Venetian glassmaking existed as far back as the 8th Century, it became concentrated in Murano by law beginning 1291. Since glass factories often caught fire, this removed much of the possibility of a major fire disaster for the city. Murano glassmakers developed secret recipes and methods for making glass, and the concentration of Venice's glassmaking on the island of Murano enabled better control of those secrets. Murano became Europe's elite glassmaking center, peaking in popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. Venice's dominance in trade along the Mediterranean Sea created a wealthy merchant class that was a strong connoisseur of the arts. This helped establish demand for art glass and more innovations. The spread of glassmaking talent in Europe eventually diminished the importance of Venice and its Murano glassmakers. A defeat by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797, and occupation, caused more hardship for Murano's glassmaking industry. Murano glassmaking began a revival in the 1920s. Today, Murano and Venice are tourist attractions, and Murano is home to numerous glass factories and a few individual artists' studios.
