After a path that lasted years, which involved the work of two communities, the Italian and the French, the art of glass beads (including their processing, culture and language) becomes UNESCO heritage.
Claudia Cottica, anthropologist for the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Venetian Glass Beads, declared: “The art of the glass bead has been inscribed (on December 17) on the representative list of intangible elements of the heritage of humanity. The holders of the art are “living heritage”, which, as said by Cristina Bedin, president of the Committee, “includes intangible values such as language, gestures, memories and knowledge and is the result of a supranational path.
This is a candidacy that unites Italy and France. There are two communities of proponents, represented by the Committee for the Preservation of the Art of Venetian Glass Beads CPVV for the Italian side, and by the association of PERLIERS D’ART DE FRANCE for the French side, coordinated by their respective Ministries of Culture.
But what is the history of Murano glass beads, a centuries-old art of Venice?
The creation of pearls dates back at least to Roman times, even if a more ancient origin in Egypt or Mesopotamia is not excluded. What we know for sure is that the production of glass beads in Venice is found in documents dating back to the fourteenth century, becoming a valuable asset for trade.
It is interesting to remember that in 1291, a decree of the Serenissima ordered the glass producers to move their work to the island of Murano, to avoid the great risks of fire in keeping the furnaces in the historic center. The glass bead in Venice, was not exclusively produced in Murano, but throughout the Venetian territory. The doge’s decree of 1291 has never concerned the production of pearls.
Just think that, at the fall of the Serenissima, the production of pearls was the only one to resist the crisis. It saved the Venetian glass industry, with a continuous growth, until 1900.
When the first Murano beads were created?
We are in the thirteenth century when the first evidence speaks of a type of pearl called veriselli, ie imitations of glass precious stones, created for trade after the Venetians had sniffed the deal from a story by Marco Polo, who told of the love of Asian people for precious stones. In addition to veriselli, artisans also created paternostri, the Rosary beads. They were bought by Christian pilgrims visiting Venice.
From margarite to conterie
Then came the time for a smaller type of glass bead, the margarite, which used thin, perforated glass rods. Compared to paternosters, margaritas allowed for much faster mass production and lower costs. In the 19th century, margaritas began to be called, as they are today, conteries. They were strung in bunches by impiraresse (from the Venetian verb ‘impirar’, meaning to string).
What impiraresse do?
Their task is to pour the beads divided by color, in a wooden tray with a curved bottom – the séssola, holding in their hands 40-80 very thin needles, fan-shaped, with which to thread the beads into long threads of cotton or linen. This was a role reserved only for the female gender, carried out mainly from home. The impiraresse were paid piecework without having direct contact with the glassworks of Murano. They relied, in fact, on intermediaries who managed their payments.
Even if this is an art that is being lost, some splicers keep the tradition alive. Thanks to them, to their commitment and perseverance, glass beads have finally become a UNESCO heritage.
For sources on the history of the Venetian pearl, we thank Miani Venetian Jewelry.
