pretext of a threat of fire in 13 th century Ven- ice, which was then mostly built of wood, but in reality a move aimed at safeguarding the secrets of glass blowing and painting, crafts- men working with glass were all relocated to the island of Murano. Isolated by various regulations and threats, they strove to prefect the glass working craft, becoming the world’s undisputed leaders in their field, while Venetian glass and mirrors be- came a status symbol widely renowned for their opulence. Even Louis XIV couldn’t remain im- mune to their beauty, so he hired several Mu- rano glass maestros to decorate the Palace of Versailles. He managed to bring them, but they didn’t finish the job – dying under mysterious circumstances. The process of turning crystal clear glass into mirrors was a short one, but not a harm- less one. The production of mirrors was based on toxic substances. As soon as plate glass was produced, they began polishing it with dia- monds. Their opus includes lattimo – a white milky-like glass, aventurine – glass with gold thread, millefiori – multi-coloured glass, and smalto – enamelled glass. The beauty of Murano glass objects can be found in the special method of painting. Instead of paint, special combinations of met- als are added. The famous Murano red colour is created by mixing gold powder with hot glass mass, which make this coloured glass more expen- sive than others. Chandeliers and lamps made from Mura- no glass produce an unimaginably beautiful and pleasant light. It is tough to remain immune to the beau- ty of Murano glass, even if you are a sworn min- imalist. Glass beads painted with natural col- ours only shine here and refract the light like precious stones. Millefiori patterns on medal- lions and bowls will hypnotise you as you look at them and try to figure out the delicate pro- cess with which the maestro made the glass shine with a thousand flowers. And then there are the enamelled bowls! They contain gath- ered with them all the delightfulness of East- ern art that permeates through everything in Venice – from architecture to jewellery. And it is only when you see all the wonders that the island of Murano has to offer you – from the museum of glass to workshops that demon- strate for tourists the stretching, twisting, dec- orating and blowing of figurines – that you will realise that only the extravagant, decadent, op- ulent and beautiful Venice could spawn works of such powerful energy and timeless beauty. If you still have energy for another new experience after visiting Venice and the island of Murano, journey to the neighbouring island of Burano. This is the birthplace of the finest lace, which still decorates haute couture de- signs today.
Samo ekstravagantna, dekadentna, raskošna i poročna Venecija mogla je da iznedri dela tako snažne energije i neprolazne lepote Only the extravagant, decadent, opulent and beautiful Venice could spawn works of such powerful energy and timeless beauty
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