Masterpieces of Lightness and Grace

This article analyses the inclusion of Venetian glass pieces and mosaics at four Universal Exhibitions in Paris from 1867 – the first year in which Italy could be represented as a unified country – till 1900, when the annual event inaugurated a new century and a completely different art system. The widening of an international market was the main impulse behind the revival of the Murano tradition and the rebirth of its economy, which had been in crisis in the first half of the 19th century. The main players in this relaunch were Antonio Salviati – at first with a company with his own name and, after 1878, as Compagnia di Venezia e Murano – Pietro Bigaglia and other smaller, less prominent foundries. All were equally active in the production of glass pieces imitating Renaissance pieces, mirrors and mosaics.