Venetian-style glass
From the mid-15th century Venice dominated the European tableware market with exotic, beautifully-made glasses that were exported widely. To contemporaries, 'Venetian' was a term denoting both quality and style - though by the late 16th century, 'Venetian-style' glass was being made in Antwerp, Amsterdam, London and other European centres, as well as in Venice.
'Venetian-style' glass was very clear and colourless ('cristallo') - though now it often appears cloudy or greyish. Opaque white, bright blue and other deep colours also appear. Glassblowers often used ribbed or patterned moulds - for example, to make beakers or drinking-glass stems - and pre-formed glass 'canes' of contrasting colours to produce striped or mesh effects. Some glasses were gilded, enamelled or engraved.
The Museum's collection is particularly important for studying the final stages of the 'Venetian style' in the 17th century. For 'Inghistera' bottles (made in Venice and elsewhere from the 15th century), see the Medieval section.
Related objects
There are 781 related objects.<Previous pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Next >
24301 drinking glass.  | A27853 beaker. | A25581 beaker. | 83.261 beaker. |
NN23385 beaker. | NN23395 beaker. | NN23396 beaker. | NN23399 beaker. |
80.12/29 beaker. | 2505 beaker. | 16683 beaker. | 16680 beaker. |
2503 beaker. | A17181 beaker. | A26428 beaker. | A13571 beaker. |
A25578 beaker. | 12414a beaker. | A20781 beaker. | A16586 beaker. |
12414b beaker. | 5110 beaker. | 80.12/38 beaker. | NN23382 beaker. |
<Previous pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Next >