Busacca Gallery

20th Century Venetian Art Glass, Hand Blown tall blue vase Italian Art Glass Venice, Italy, 20th century Colored glass piece, in blue and light blue on the inside, hand signed by the artist. it was made for Tiffany & Co. Pictures simply do not do justice to this piece. This incredible piece of art glass is something that captivates you. A true master of art glass from this period.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_glass

Muranos reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and destruction to the citys mostly wood buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291. Murano glass is still interwoven with Venetian glass. Murano's glassmakers were soon the islands most prominent citizens. By the 14th century, glass makers were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state and found their daughters married into Venices most affluent families. Of course there was a catch: Glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the Republic. However, many craftsmen took this risk and set up glass furnaces in surrounding cities and as far afield as England and the Netherlands. Muranos glassmakers held a monopoly on quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano are still employing these century-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass jewelry to murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers.