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Blown Away: The Magic of Murano

Ahead of Venice Glass Week, our makers reveal the secret processes and enduring passion behind their exquisite craft.

Sommerso, millefiori, incalmo, battuti: if the time-honored techniques of Murano glassmaking sound like a list of Renaissance poets, it’s because this is an art form versed in centuries of craftsmanship. And these are just a few of the fascinating methods and details that make Murano glass determinedly unique. Dating back to the Roman era in Venice, glassmaking is its most celebrated and valued of traditions and one whose legacy continues to be written.

Yali Glass
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“The techniques the maestros in the furnace developed and still use are just amazing,” says Marie-Rose Kahane, who launched Yali Glass in 2008.

Among other methods, Kahane has adapted the traditionally ornate filigrana technique, which has a fine white line running through it almost like a textile, to make a simple cylinder. “Transforming something is what we do all the time; there’s a bridge building between the past and the future.”

Meet the Maker: Yali Glass

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Giberto
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”Keeping the legacy of Murano glassmaking alive demands an embrace of experimentation rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel,” says Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga. He started his eponymous brand, Giberto, 18 years ago as “a hobby” to complement his main job as an insurance broker and has since revolutionized the rigàmenà technique to create a teardrop on the rim of his signature Julia glass.

That Kahane and Gonzaga were able to indulge their passions at all is testament to how far the art of Murano glassmaking has come. After the government moved production to Murano from central Venice in the 13th century for fear of the scorchingly hot furnaces (which can reach over 2,000 degrees Celsius) setting the stilted city alight, it became a highly secretive affair.

Meet the Maker: Giberto

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  • Giberto - Pyotr Crystal Rock Paper Knife - - ABASK

Giberto Pyotr Crystal Rock Paper Knife

€1,220

Pyotr Crystal Rock Paper Knife
Giberto - Pyotr Crystal Rock Paper Knife - - ABASK

Giberto Pyotr Crystal Rock Paper Knife

€1,220
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Green Wolf Lighting
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“Murano glassmaking is not just an art—it’s a feat of endurance,” says UK-based Rebecca Marks whose brand, Green Wolf Lighting, works closely with the Murano community to create its multicolored Murano glass table lamps. “The craft is built on centuries-old, closely guarded techniques passed down through families, but it’s also physically grueling. Something I learnt when visiting the factories is that they work under incredibly difficult and extreme conditions, in close proximity to ovens even in the summer months! As a visitor walking even a meter away from these furnaces feels impossible, so you appreciate not only the skill but the resilience of the artisans who keep this ancient tradition alive.” 

Originally, glassmakers were prohibited from working outside Murano and threatened with a death sentence for disclosing the special recipe of silica, lime, soda, and potassium or the minerals mixed to make different colors. Their blowing, twisting, turning and dipping methods also remained firmly under wraps, while intermarriage between Murano residents and those on the mainland Italy was also firmly off limits. Such restrictions—and suspicions—have since eased off, although the prestige in the profession remains strong. 

Meet the Maker: Green Wolf Lighting

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  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Cloud Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Cloud Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK -

Numbered Edition

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Cloud Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705

Cloud Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light
Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Cloud Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK -

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Cloud Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Eden Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK -
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Eden Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK

Numbered Edition

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Eden Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705

Eden Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light
Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Eden Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Eden Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Sun Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK -
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Sun Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK

Numbered Edition

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Sun Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705

Sun Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light
Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Sun Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Sun Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Rainbow Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK -
  • Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Rainbow Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK

Numbered Edition

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Rainbow Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705

Rainbow Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light
Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge - Rainbow Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light - - ABASK

Green Wolf Lighting by Solange Azagury-Partridge Rainbow Hand-Blown Murano Glass Portable Table Light

€705
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Kickie Chudikova
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“Murano glass is alive,” says Brooklyn-based maker Kickie Chudikova, whose Murano glass vases and lights are famed for their quirky shapes. “The magic lies not only in the centuries-old tradition but also in the collaboration between designer and master glassblower. It’s not about achieving absolute perfection—it’s about embracing fluidity, unpredictability, and the human hand in every step. Unlike the Czech approach, where glass is often blown into precise wooden molds, Murano is freer, more intuitive. Each piece carries small imperfections that make it truly unique—that’s where its beauty lies.”

Meet the Maker: Kickie Chudikova

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Micheluzzi Glass
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The most compelling USP of Murano glass remains the mesmerizing colors that the furnaces are able to achieve.

“One of Murano’s most fascinating secrets lies in its colors. Each furnace has its own “recipe book”, formulas of powders: oxides, and minerals mixed in precise proportions, guarded and refined over generations,” say makers Elena and Margherita Micheluzzi, who are second-generation custodians of the family business, Micheluzzi Glass, that their father, Massimo, founded in the 1970s. “What few people realize is that no two furnaces ever produce the same hue. Each palette is as unique as a fingerprint, giving every furnace its own identity. In Murano, color is not simply chosen, it is crafted. The raw mixture is melted at high temperatures and worked while still incandescent, allowing the colors to reveal their depth and brilliance.”

Meet the Maker: Micheluzzi Glass
Venini
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Over the years, Murano has become synonymous with many designers and masters, with the 20th century proving to be something of a heyday for Murano glass brands, among them Giacomo Cappellini and Paolo Venini. They established Venini in 1921, creating a Murano vase icon in the Veronese vase and making the “mano volante” (flying hand) technique world-famous with the Fazzoletto vase, a collaboration with Fulvio Bianconi that took its name from the handkerchief shape it depicts.

Meet the Maker: Venini

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NasonMoretti
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In 1923, Venini was joined by NasonMoretti, a brand founded by brothers Ugo, Antonio, Giuseppe, Vincenzo and Umberto Nason. Making its name for achieving an intensity of color, as it approaches its centenary year, it is still the only Murano glass brand that can produce 22 kinds of green and nine kinds of blue. “Every new collection we launch has almost six different colors—sometimes 12,” says Piero Nason, one of the third-generation members of the family business.

“This is the power of Murano glass. We look at our tradition to make invocation for the future, all the products we make for the future start from what we have done in the past.”

Meet the Maker: Nason Moretti

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NasonMoretti Torse Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Jug

€300

Torse Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Jug
NasonMoretti - Torse Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Jug - Clear - ABASK

NasonMoretti Torse Hand-Blown Murano Glass Water Jug

€300
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Carlo Moretti
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Meanwhile, Carlo Moretti, founded by Murano-born brothers Carlo and Giovanni Moretti in 1958 and famed for its colorful abstract designs, compares the collaborative work of its glass masters to that of “a great orchestra [that] interprets each project and transforms it into the shapes of Murano crystal, blown by mouth, hand-finished, signed and dated.” That such beauty comes from this beguiling corner of the Venetian Lagoon is no surprise, as the surrounding waters and constant state of fluidity find a synergy with the vessels created there and their global makers.

“I’m drawn to Murano for the energy of the material and the artisans,” says Chudikova. “Working with Murano glass is a dialogue between my ideas and the craftsmen’s intuition. I bring the vision, but the final piece is shaped through trust, and communication between the glassblower and me.”

Meet the Maker: Carlo Moretti

Murano Glassware

From rainbow designs to rare vintage treasures.

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Murano Glassware

From rainbow designs to rare vintage treasures.

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  • Antique and Vintage - 1960s Murano Glass Photo Frame - Clear - ABASK -
  • Antique and Vintage - 1960s Murano Glass Photo Frame - Clear - ABASK

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Antique and Vintage 1960s Murano Glass Photo Frame (7x9")

€2,235

1960s Murano Glass Photo Frame (7x9")
Antique and Vintage - 1960s Murano Glass Photo Frame - Clear - ABASK

Antique and Vintage 1960s Murano Glass Photo Frame (7x9")

€2,235