Nine interviews with experts representing industry, artisans, arts and science
in the field of the glass industry on Murano.
The ABOUT section tells you how we came about to initiate this project.
These interviews took place in 2019 and have been recorded in Italian. There will be English subtitles. Please listen to and see the faces of personalities closely involved with a world representing industry, artisans, arts and science in this eminent field
NasonMoretti was founded in 1923 by Paolo’s grandfather and his brothers – although they separated at some point to open their own operations the name remains as the preeminent producer of table ware located in Calle dietro gli Orti.
Renzo was born in 1940 into an old Muranese family. Fascinated by glass he decided to work in the glass making industry. At the age of 21 he already took responsibility as technical director in a company with 60 employees and two years later he moved to Ulderico Moretti as director of human resources with 200 staff
Born into a glass making family for many generations on Murano in 1935 Carlo started his engagements at around 20 years of age – the factory of his father was right there to get acquainted with the structure of work and experimentation. His works of the period in the 1950s are still displayed in the collections of the Corning Museum in New York.
Guido started his career in 1957 in his father’s factory - working in all the different levels of the industrial process. In the 1960’s together with his brothers they opened a new operation, “Effetre”. Nowadays restructuring of the industry is primordial to preserve profitability and provide a solid foundation for the label of Murano glass.
La Ercole Moretti was founded in 1911. The company started producing glass pearls – derived from glass canes – production of the beads takes place in front of the heat of a flame. The factory developed the right composition of the material and the means to completely polish the surface. Another advanced technique they developed was the production of the famous “perla Rosetta”.
Roberto started working in the field of creating wooden moulds for glass blowing at the age of 12 years. Moulds help to accelerate and standardize an object during the production process. He developed a passion choosing the right origin and kind of wood for modelling the right type of mould. His atelier supplied most of the factories on Murano but also had demand coming from France or the USA.
The “laboratorio” – workshop – has been established in 1923 by Mario’s father and friends. He stresses that he was trained on the job by his father and had a famous teacher in Franz Pelzel (1900 – 1974) but also finished his education at the “Instituto d’Arte” as Maestro of Arte and Design. Engravings made by the firm were always drawn from motifs of either former centuries or contemporary artists. Objects and mirrors, drinking glasses and other tableware were engraved or decorated by them.
Sandro was born in Venice in 1948. In the late 1920s his father together with his uncle founded a glass factory later named V.A.M.S.A (Vetreria Artistica Muranese S.A.). Sandro graduated in 1973 in chemistry from the University of Padova and joined the Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro (SSV) in 1976. Experts there engage in all stages of the glass production process.
The professor of sociology (ret.) describes critically the social structure of Murano and its evolvement over centuries. He has dedicated lots of his knowledge to the evolution of the glass industry and analyzed the way production is performed. Now, the big industry has shrunk, artisans find it extremely difficult to survive in an ever more competitive market exposed not only to reduced demand for their product but confronted with cheap foreign competition, increasing regulation and the growing need for automation of the production process.
There is another interesting conversation taking you back into history with the origins of Murano glass and the building of its legacy. Already in the years 1200 Murano was able to produce the most transparent glass – cristallino – as did the Byzantines. Presented in 16 short videos, the very knowledgeable chemist late Cesare Barbini (1927 – 2019) talks about discoveries and secrets – Registered in 2018 and 2019 they are available on