The art of Murano glass originated on the small island of Murano, in the Venetian Lagoon, which has been known for centuries as the center of glass-making art.
After the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 during the Crusades, a group of glassmakers from Constantinople found refuge in Venice. With their arrival, a renaissance of the Venetian glassmaking community began. Fearing fires, as the glassmaking process requires high temperatures, the Venetian Doge relocated the glass workshops to Murano in 1291.
Over time, the skill and knowledge of the masters from Murano became so renowned that glass objects and decorations became more valuable than precious metals. They developed many technological processes, such as those for controlling the color and transparency of glass, and perfected various decorative techniques. They were long the only ones in Europe who knew how to make mirrors. Some of their inventions included crystal glass, enameled glass (smalto), gold thread glass (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milky glass (lattimo), and Imitation of precious gemstones. Due to the market value of Murano glass, guild masters carefully guarded the secrets of glass processing techniques. Moreover, all those involved in glass production were forbidden to leave Venice.
The value of Murano glass most vividly describes the status of top craftsmen that Venice bestowed upon the craftsmen from Murano. Namely, they were allowed to carry swords, mint their own money, and marry their daughters into noble families in Venice.
The tradition of glassmaking and glass objects has been preserved on Murano to this day. The splendor of the long history of glassmaking can be seen in the local Glass Museum. It houses archaeological finds of glass and glass objects produced from the 15th century to the present day.