Through the Venetian looking glass

My artnet piece on why the Murano glass is more than half full.

The Getty shop justifies a colorful goblet’s $45 tag since it hails from the Venetian island Murano, “famous for its highly prized, collectible glass” made with “centuries-old techniques.” Walmart notes a $57.95 plum figure embodies Murano’s “richness of color, originality, and unparalleled craftsmanship” and was “handcrafted under a small flame by a family of Murano glass artisans in their small workshop using techniques first developed centuries ago and passed from father to son.”

Objects in a Smithsonian Murano glass show/my photo

Stunning yet pricey, Murano glass is frequently hawked thusly. So what’s the fuss? And if Murano is that special, what should one know upon encountering it in the wild? I wrote on the subject for artnet, focusing on the current exhibit “Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano” (through May 8) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

You can read the artnet article here.