History

From glass rods also derives the production of pearls, known since ancient times, first in Egypt and then in Roman times. The first pearls produced in Venice date back to the fourteenth century and, for centuries, they constituted precious goods for the Serenissima, traded and exported to Africa, the Americas, and India. Based on the production technique, Venetian pearls can be seed beads, rosettes, or lampworked beads. Seed beads, documented in Murano since the fourteenth century, are monochrome, very small, and are “industrially” obtained from thin glass rods drilled through. They are also usable for embroidery and various compositions. Rosette beads, invented in the fifteenth century, derive from drilled composite rods, like murrine, made of multiple polychrome layers. Lampworked beads, on the other hand, date back to the seventeenth century, obtained from a non-drilled (solid) rod, heated by flame (“lamp”), and poured onto a manually rotated metal wire, with endless variations of possible additions, effects, and colors.

During the nineteenth-century crisis in Murano, pearl production was the only industry to remain flourishing and expand: interesting and colorful sample books from some of the most active factories are displayed here, including those of Franchini and Domenico Bussolin, who was also a specialist in filigree. However, the rich collections of the museum allow for an excursion through the entire history and typologies of Venetian pearls, a genre particularly significant and deeply connected to the history and traditions of the city, especially to that of female labor. This includes the creativity of many Murano women who have always been present in this sector, not to mention the skilled Venetian pearl stringers (“impiraresse”) who, for centuries, sat outdoors in alleyways and squares with their box (“sessola”) full of seed beads on their knees, characterizing the landscape of a vibrant, populous Venice.