Famous Crafts Of Venice

Venice, the floating city in northeastern Italy, is famous for its canals, its gondolas, its thousands of bridges and its unique architecture. But the city earned its wealth and became ‘Queen of the Adriatic’ in the previous centuries thanks to its crafts and products that combined materials, knowledge and artistry from all over the Old World. And that legacy remains to this day in a long and fine tradition of exquisite craftsmanship.

Murano Glass

Venetian craftsman were renowned for being able to make intricate, high-quality and colorful glass objects, ranging from windows and mirrors to jewelry, beads, mosaics and chandeliers. For over 600 years Venice was the only place in Europe able to make coloured glass, true clear glass and to blow glass into thin, complex shapes.

From the 13^th century, glassmaking became an official state secret of the Venetian Republic and glassmakers were forbidden to leave the city or divulge the secrets of Venetian glass. Shortly after this decree, a law was passed that required all glassmakers to move to Murano – a group of smaller islands north of the main city in the Venetian lagoon.

Murano became synonymous with the finest glassware and the islands products were treated as equal to the finest jewelry by European royalty. Meanwhile the scientists of the Renaissance came to Murano to commission lenses and other scientific and medical equipment.

The rise of the printing press was a threat to Venice’s tightly controlled secrets. For a while, Murano was able to maintain its lead in quality and fame, but soon the English development of crystal glass allowed high-grade items to be made, and Bohemian glass became superior for use in windows and engravings.

But the glassworks of Murano survived, diminished but undefeated. A revival occured the late 19^th century, with Murano regaining its reputation for distinctive colours, high quality and artistry. The island is still home to numerous glass factories, workshops and studios, including the Barovier & Toso company, which has had an unbroken existence at Murano since the 13^th century.

Burano Lace

Further into the Venetian Lagoon is the island of Burano, which is famous for its intricate lace products. Unlike glass, lacework was not a unique product to Venice, but Burano lace was considered finer, lighter, more delicate and more beautiful than the lace from Flanders and Holland. It was known as ‘punto in aria’ – ‘points in the air’ – because of its extreme delicacy and complex geometry.

Unlike the glassworkers on Murano, the lace makers on Burano (overwhelmingly women) were not there by decree. Merchants set up workshops on the island, where the powerful city guilds could not easily enforce their rules and brought in workers from across Europe.

The reverse proved to be the downfall of Burano – in the late 17^th century the French government paid Venetian lacemakers to move to France and establish workshops. French and Flemish lace could be made in greater quantities than Burano lace, and in the aftermath of the revolutions in America and France it was less fashionable to flaunt wealth and power with glamorous lace. Burano lace was also extensively used in decorating the famous masks Venetians wore each year at the Carnival of Venice.

By the mid-19^th century large-scale lacemaking on Burano had all-but disappeared, and it had become a domestic industry. Skills were handed down between generations of Burano women, who made relatively ordinary items such as edging for bedclothes and tablecloths, parasols and accessories for wedding dresses.

A lace-making school was set up on Burano in the 1870s. By the 1930s the growth of the Venetian tourist industry had brought Burano lace back to the attention of the world and it continues to be produced by hand by small businesses throughout the island. It’s now one of the ultimate Venetian souvenirs.

Venetian Leather

Italy has been known for its leather for centuries, and continues to make some of the world’s finest leather goods. As a great trading city, Venice was able to import leather and not only the famous tannins from Florence and Campania that made Italian leather famous, but other tree and vegetable tannins from around the Adriatic and further east. This gave Venetian leather distinctive textures and colours.

Venetian craftsmen were able to combine other skills with leather, resulting in leather products combined with embroidery, gold lace, glass and jewelery. Embossed and gilded Venetian leather tiles were a prestigious alternative to wall hangings in the Renaissance era. Leatherworkers were also in demand for making the masks needed every year for the Carnival.

Today Venetian leather workshops still tend to produce items that embody other traditional crafts from the Serene City, whether it’s a men’s leather bracelet incorporating a Murano glass bead or a leather bag with an Ottoman design embossed on its side. And you can still find many small workshops making the famous Venetian masks from leather.