Once called “latticino” or “latticinio” by the Venetians, then “vetro a filigrana”, this name describes a variety of clear, blown glass pieces, in which are embedded white or colored strands of opaque glass (“canne”), now called cane in English. Under the generic term “vetro a filigrana” there are three different types of graphic motifs: “vetro a fili” which uses parallel strands of cane, “vetro a retorti” which uses previously prepared spiraled strands, and “vetro a reticello” in which are trapped minuscule air bubbles. To create “vetro a fili” the glass threads are carefully placed on a metal or ceramic plate and heated until they become soft. The cane is then gathered onto the end of the glassblowers blowpipe, often onto a bubble of clear glass which is rolled over the prepared plate to incorporate the strands; after reheating the initial bubble will continue to be blown and shaped. The cane can be laid out at regular intervals using a plate with grooves or side by side on a smooth surface. Successful execution of the vetro a reticello technique requires at least two glassblowers of uncommon skill and coordination. The first artisan gathers the filigree already set out on the plate and shapes an initial cylinder which is then grabbed firmly at the tip with shears. While one hand holds the cylinder the other hand turns the pipe on the bench, thereby creating parallel spiral lines in a chosen direction. The cylinder is then opened into a tulip shape. In the mean time an assistant would have prepared another identical plate of cane which a second glassblower proceeds to gather and shape into a second cylinder, narrower than the first, and spiraled in the opposite direction. This second cylinder is then placed inside the first cylinder, now waiting, hot, open in a mold. Once completely inside, the inserted cylinder is quickly blown up until it attaches to the inside walls of the first open cylinder. Tiny air bubbles get trapped in the lattice like mesh of cane, now intersecting like a basket maker’s weave.

These refined and luxurious methods of Venetian glassmaking were developed during the Renaissance, with significant progress made in the course of the XVIth century. They were often used in conjunction with other techniques such as gold leaf, mold making and elaborate wraps, giving rise to the extravagant production of very expensive objects of limitless variety. The princely classes became infatuated with these Venetian splendors and willingly became the patrons of an unparalleled flourishing of the glass arts. By the XVII century, many types of “vetro a filigrana” were being produced in northern Europe as well, especially in Holland. Since filigree glass was first developed, artists across the centuries have continued to explore its aesthetic possibilities, but of special note are the advances made during the XIXth century by Domenico Bussolin, as well as Pietro Bigaglia and Antonio Salviati. In the 1950’s, the remarkable work of Archimede Seguso carried this art to new heights of inventiveness and poetry, “a mezza filigrana”, “ a filo verticale”, “a merletto”, “a piume”, “ a filigrane stellata”...

The maestro Lino Tagliapietra perpetuates and at the same time transcends this grand Venetian tradition with his supremely elegant, quasi-pictorial works such as, “Concerto di Primavera” (2000), whereas the American artist Richard Marquis revives the tradition by blowing stunningly imaginative pieces like his “Teapot Goblets” series (1989-94) infused with humor and parody.

BAROVIER Marina, DORIGATO Attilia, “Il vetro di Murano alle biennali 1895-1972”,Leonardo Arte, Milano, 1995 DORIGATO Attilia, “Murano Glass Museum”, Edizioni Electa, Milano, 1986