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Murano glass chandeliers designed and realized by Pataviumart are real masterpieces of the Italian tradition, like just other few are able to represent Italian luxury in the world.
These particular suspension lamps are handmade by our glass masters using the antique techniques which were used hundreds of years ago.
For these reasons, the classic Venetian chandeliers are an example of beauty and art, capable of making any room in the house more precious, illuminating with a touch of refinement and exclusive design.
We can affirm that Baroque and crystal chandeliers have never gone out of fashion.
It is just like the times of the Serenissima Republic of Venice: Murano glass chandelier still today represent a precious luxury furnish which blends in harmony both antique tradition and the most contemporary design.
Pataviumart precious Murano glass creations, called by our international customers “Murano chandeliers”, know how to give to your home a unique touch of exclusivity, elegance and personalization whether it will be a classic or modern style.
Classic Murano glass chandeliers: which materials are used in the Pataviumart collection?
Absolutely Murano glass.
Antique in its history and production techniques, Murano glass in Pataviumart is reinterpreted in absolutely contemporary forms and colours.
In addition to the precious glass from Murano island, other refined materials are used in Pataviumart: crystals, porcelain, semi-precious stones (aquamarina and onyx to name a couple), river pearls, enamels, bronze and various types of marble and alabaster.
Classic Murano glass structures can be enriched by applying by hand 24 kt gold foil, or by decorating them with charming handmade lampshades.
Technique and artisan ability are used accurately to create this product with a touch of extreme modernity.
Murano glass chandeliers: some history about the origins of these masterpieces.
Where and how arise this noble material from which Murano glass chandeliers take their name and which made this small island in Venice famous all over the world?
Murano is divided in 9 islets and it is crossed by a large canal.
Even today it is the island of blown glass par excellence: an antique artisan tradition passed on through the centuries by the most talented master glass blowers.
But up until the X century the island of Murano was known for other reasons: it was an important commercial centre and port, which based its economy on saltworks, fishing and water mills.
This Venetian island became so important during XIII century, that it was recognized as having its own “podestà”, a government autonomous law, and its own coin called “Osella”.
The importance of Murano grew so much that it remained autonomous even under the reign of Napoleon and institutionally recognized as an independent municipality.
This special condition continued until 1923, when the island officially merged with Venice.
Murano glass: precious material with which are forged the most admired chandeliers in the world.
The history of Murano glass started both accidentally and by force: in 1921 when the glass factories of Venice were forced to move to this island because the glass ovens were constantly at risk of serious fires.
At the same time, Venetian Republic was able to control the activity of the glass masters to maintain the secrets of that precious art, even forcing them to live in the island, permitting them to leave it only sometime with a special permission.
However, some masters managed to abandon the island to export abroad the famous techniques of the artisan production of Murano glass, contributing to make it even more famous and admired throughout the world.
It is known that competition is the heart of commerce: this is why, during the XV century, a big development of production of artworks made with Murano glass happened…when Bohemia crystal became a strong competitor on the international markets.
One of the way Murano glass overcame that crisis, was the creation of its incomparable chandeliers, developing an art which has allowed the glass masters of the island to become more famous and recognized, even at a political level, consolidating a secular specialization that even today is synonymous of inimitable elegance, class and refinement in the whole world.
Characteristics and glass processing.
Glass is made up with silica, a material that becomes liquid at high temperatures and can be moulded to create unique and unrepeatable artworks.
The master glass blowers of Murano have, over the time, acquired the capacity and the competence to modify the feature of the glass depending on their ideas and inspiration.
As an example, adding material like sodium, nitrate, arsenic…colours can change, bubbles can be eliminated, surfaces can look opaque… many custom made solutions can be created with this famous kind of glass.
Usually there are three principal phases of work of Murano glass: in the first one, the raw materials like sand and sodium are worked together to create the “mixture” that will be modelled. Then it is time for the “lume” treatment with colourful glass sticks and finally come the engraving, decoration or grinding.
Crystal in Murano glass factories.
It can be affirmed that crystal was born in Murano glass factories.
For crystal we mean glass par excellence: transparent and colourless, produced with manganese dioxide and other purified materials.
The quality of its purity, obtained by the use of bleaches and accurate selection of raw materials, mixed into a special fusion, has made crystal to be considered as the most precious Murano glass since Medieval times.
Defined by this name for the first time in the XV century by the masters glassblowers of Murano, crystal then started to be reproduced also in other European Countries.
Its luminosity and its purity are very appreciated in the production of light and delicate blown objects which require a long time to be created.
Glass blowing.
The glass blowing technique on the XI century gave a great boost to the glass production, because it made easier to create containers and vases which became more accessible to the lower classes.
Originally, there wasn’t a real blow pipe, but a hollow glass pipe: on one side the glass master executed the blowing and on the other side the modelling.
Later on, the glass object was separated from the pipe.
“Sommerso”: a typical Murano glass expression.
“Sommerso” (submerged) is a typical Murano glass technique, a special art expression which contributed to make the glass of this island so renowned in the world.
“Sommerso” means a glass artwork is composed of different layers of contrasting colours, obtained by immerging the glass into several crucibles containing different colours, sometimes also glass of great thickness.
This special technique permits to create countless chromatic effects and gives life to wonderful play of colours and lights characterizing the famous Murano glass chandeliers appreciated all over the world.
“Conterie”: beads and drops of Murano glass.
“Conterie” are called the Murano glass beads and drops, they can be rounded or squared.
These beads are created with “Lume” technique, obtained with the incision of glass tubes, drilled and extended up to 10 meters in the furnace.
The non-perforated tube becomes instead wrapped covering the small metal tube which gives the pearl the required shape and then it can be decorated with polychrome glass.
Grinding and Murano glass.
This is an antique technique, which foreseen various steps which enables the glass to be engraved.
First of all, a rudimentary wheel, made with silicon carbide grain 80 is used, successively it is time for a thicker wheel grain 220, to adjust the incision.
Next phase is the engraving and smoothing process which take place with a natural sandstone wheel.
The fourth wheel is made with cork, impregnated with a paste of water and pumice stone, and it is used to polish the incision.
Finally, a last wheel, soaked in water and oxide of cerium cleans the glass object and give him brightness.