Venetian wire glass

Venetian wire hanging lamps are made by blowing glass into a metal frame. The glass is usually transparent or matted. All lamps come with a chain. This means that its length can easily be shortened.

Forging metal was common back in the days. The blacksmith knew how to make himself essential in various areas. He, for instance, made weapons and tools. Blacksmithing was seen as first-rate job and the blacksmith had an air of mystery over him while he was working with fire, tongs, hammers and fire-sparking iron. The Romans even created a particular god for this trade, namely, Vulcan. Strike the iron while it is hot! The forge heats objects to more than 1000 degrees Celsius in order to work with them.

Glass is a popular material with a rich history. The art of glass blowing was already important in the Roman Empire. Venetian glass is particularly famous and is based on the original techniques from Roman times. At the end of the 13th century, the island Murano was the centre of this industry. Due to fire hazards, it became prohibited to blow glass in the city centre. It also made it easier to keep the procedure of designing and creating glass objects a secret.

Experienced glass blowers blow the glass with a lot of technological skill. The artists rotates a drop of molten glass at the end of a blowpipe and hollows it by blowing into it. By continuously turning it, the glass drop is eventually blown into the right shape. The shaped glass items have a temperature of around 600 degrees of Celsius that needs to be reduced to room temperature. The gradual cooling process happens in a furnace that is also called the ‘annealer’.

To create Venetian lamps, two very old trades are united. The artistic blacksmith makes eccentric iron shapes and the artistic glass blower eventually blows the protruding glass into the ironwork. The mystery is complete! And the result is a Venetian lamp! The artistic city of Venice displays this type of lamp in abundance. Antique Style Web Store offers the possibility to order these lamps online. And… all the models are in stock.