Mentasti

A trip through the history of glassmaking and the rediscovery of an ancient art form. This premier publication from the vast and variegated de Boos-Smith Collection offers a comprehensive and fascinating view of nineteenth-century Murano glass production, from filigree to millefiori, from aventurine to chalcedony. The different techniques highlighted allow a better understanding of how ancient works were revived by Venetian glassmakers after the deep crisis suffered by the glass industry after the fall of the Serenissima Republic. The 250 pieces come mainly from the English market of the period. They were bought by Fiorella and Phillip de Boos-Smith, Londoners of Australian background, and make up a collection that is emblematic of the typically nineteenth-century English taste for color, creativity, and technical expertise, at times taken to the verge of kitsch.