The ultimate guide to Murano glass

The story behind Murano glass Italian glass art has built a special reputation over the centuries. The word Murano in particular is on everyone's lips, but few people can really explain what it refers to. So let's start at the beginning.

Murano is a group of 7 islands in the Venetian lagoon. The 7 islands are connected by bridges, but they are not connected to Venice itself. Murano glass is the glass art produced on these islands.

Venetian glassblowers have over time become known for their particular techniques, the high quality of their glass art, and their ability to work pieces of gold and silver into the different layers of the glass.

While glassblowers in the area around Venice had been working with glass since the year 800, it wasn't until the 1300s that they were forced by law to move to the Murano islands. This was decreed because the glass workshops often caught fire, so to reduce the risk of those fires spreading to surrounding buildings and businesses in Venice, all glassblowers were sent out to the islands in the Venetian lagoon. That's where the name Murano glass comes from.

Murano glass is still produced on the islands today, but unfortunately many of the old hallmarks have been lost in the modernisation of the craft. That's why there's a difference between vintage and newly produced Murano glass.

How can you tell if it's Murano glass? There are several methods you can use to tell if something is Murano glass. You can look for a sticker, and look for small imperfections, air bubbles and asymmetry in the design. Those are some of the things we ourselves go by at Farveladeland, and they make it easier to identify whether you're holding something from the Murano islands or not.

The imperfect Murano glass When you're on the hunt for Murano glass, it's worth using your senses to look at and feel the piece. Both vintage and newly produced Murano glass is handmade, which means it has small imperfections like air bubbles or asymmetric patterns.

Air bubbles When the glassblower fuses the colours in the glass, they typically blow each colour individually before layering them. During this process, air bubbles get caught between the layers, and a good indicator that you're holding glass from the Murano islands is to look closely for these imperfections.

Asymmetry Another hallmark of much of the Murano glass found around today is that, because it's handmade, every single piece has its own details. A good example is the wall lamp — if you look closely, it's asymmetric, because its centre point is offset and a little uneven. The swirl that frames the centre point doesn't meet it in perfectly smooth lines either. What we at Farveladeland often see, especially on the wall lamps, is exactly that the centre of the swirl isn't perfectly central, and the pattern can vary.

The colours As a rule of thumb, all the old vintage Murano glass was made in a small selection of colours, all soft and muted. You'll typically find the classic white, blue, yellow or pink Murano glass that defines so many of the vintage Murano lamps produced over the years.

In contrast, newly produced Murano glass uses much bolder, brighter colours. The strong, clear colours give the glass a fresh, lively look that a trained eye can spot. The colours are also often layered on top of each other, which means the pieces typically carry several colours and clear motifs.

Gold and silver flakes Unlike many other glass artists, the workshops on the Murano islands have embraced incorporating gold and silver flakes into the craft. When you're looking for Murano glass, this is a useful indicator of whether you're holding the real thing.

Murano stickers Besides refining and individualising their style in keeping with tradition, the many glassblowers on Murano have also needed to identify their work with stickers showing which workshop produced it. When you're looking at photos of Murano glass, or you find something at a market you think might be from there, look for a small sticker that says Murano. They're rarely identical, since each workshop has its own version, but they're a sure sign you're holding original Murano glass. Unfortunately, owners sometimes peel the sticker off because it isn't always placed in the most ideal spot — so you can't rule out that a piece is original Murano just because the sticker is gone.

Types of Murano glass When people talk about Murano glass, they're typically referring to vases, table lamps, wall lamps, ceiling lamps and other glasswork made on the Murano islands in the Venetian lagoon. This glass art follows the customs and traditions cultivated over centuries among these specific workshops. Murano has since become a brand, which is why only glass produced on the Murano islands is allowed to be sold under that name.

New or old When you're looking for Murano glass, the first thing to be aware of is whether you're after old or newly produced pieces.

Newly produced Murano glass Newly produced Murano glass has a more polished finish than the vintage glass. You'll find fewer visible imperfections than on the vintage pieces — bubbles and other small production marks are much rarer. The technique has been refined and become more exact, which also means the lamps no longer carry quite as many of the small quirks that made them unique. You'll also find more varied and lively colours among the newly produced Murano glass.

Vintage Murano glass The beautiful old Murano glass produced back in the 1900s is calmer in expression than the newly made pieces. The blowing technique used means you can often feel the pattern in the glass when you run your hand over it, just as you can feel that the glass is uneven where the pontil mark sits. Vintage Murano glass is, in our view, more graceful — all those small imperfections are what make every single piece truly unique. At Farveladeland in Denmark, we sell vintage Murano glass exclusively. The ambition with Farveladeland from the start has been to push back against overproduction. We want to show you that there are so many beautiful, unique pieces you can bring into your home instead of buying newly produced interior. Vintage glass art, in our view, gives a more personal touch and fits perfectly into both large and small homes.

Murano ceiling lamps When it comes to ceiling lamps, they come in many different shapes and colours. When you're choosing the right Murano ceiling lamp, think about which room it should hang in, how high your ceilings are, and whether it should hang in the middle of the room, over a dining table or in a corner. Most Murano ceiling lamps let you adjust how high or low they hang using the cord set that comes with them. The fitting is typically mounted on a hook in the ceiling, and the cable can then be run to a ceiling outlet or wall socket.

Murano ceiling lamps come in different shapes, depending on whether you prefer an open base or a full glass globe. This is also the category where you'll find the classic white vintage Murano ceiling lamp with a swirl. And it's most often this type of Murano lamp that we at Farveladeland find with the Murano sticker still on.

Murano wall lamps Murano wall lamps — also called Murano "plafond" — are a half-globe with a base in white or brass, mounted to the wall with screws. The half glass dome is then attached to the base with 3-4 screws that grip the mouth of the lamp. Murano wall lamps come in many colours and sizes, but the most common size is between 30 and 40 cm in diameter. They typically have a single E27 fitting, but can sometimes have 2-3 fittings if the diameter is large enough.

The Murano wall lamp was originally produced as a ceiling lamp, but is mostly used on the wall in the Nordics. We do, however, have a couple in the kitchen ceiling ourselves, where the ceilings are lower and a pendant wouldn't fit. This type of lamp is therefore very versatile. Use it in the hallway, beside the bed, in the bathroom, or as part of a picture wall. The base sits flat against the wall or ceiling, so the lamp itself doesn't take up much space — making it ideal for narrow corridors, low-ceilinged rooms or as bedside lamps. We've found two wonderful vintage Murano wall lamps with a pink swirl for our own bedroom.

The wall lamps most often come with a classic white swirl, and we're occasionally lucky enough to find them with the Murano sticker still attached.

Murano table lamps Murano table lamps come both as classic table lamps with a shade mounted on top — and in this category you'll also find the well-known and popular Murano mushroom lamps, which are typically open at either the top or the bottom. The mushroom lamps are formed from a single piece of glass and typically come in sizes between 18 and 45 cm. While the smaller Murano mushroom lamps usually have a single fitting, there are also versions with two fittings, so both the base (the lower part) and the dome (the upper part) — both made from a single piece of glass — can be lit.

Murano vases There's a wide variety of glass art, but they all share the same characteristics from the workshops on the Murano islands. As for vases, they come in many different forms — some have colour incorporated throughout the glass, while others have the colour sealed behind transparent glass. When you're looking for Murano vases, it's worth using your senses too. The vases tend to feel substantial and heavy. That weight gives the vases a solid feel and makes them feel rooted once they've found their place in your home.