DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1397#0062
PLATE 13.
CHALCEDONY-AGATE YASES,
BY SALVIATI, VENICE.
A NTONTO SALVIATI, advocate and doctor of law, has, with great energy and perseverance,
-^^ established at Venice a manufactory of glass, mosaic, &c, which promises to have a wide
extension and development. Our illustration will serve to give some idea of the nature of the
chalcedony-agate ware in metal filigree mounts, of which he is the producer. The examples
we have chosen are set in silver and silver-gilt filigree-work: height about twenty inches;
varying in price from 35 to 50 guineas each.
The discovery of the old Venetian schmelze glass, of which this material is a revival, is
ascribed to Cristoforo Briani and Domenico Miotti, glass-workers of Murano, in the 13th or
14th century, who were famous for their coloured beads and imitation precious stones, which,
during the 14th century, formed a large item in Venetian exports wherever European
merchandise was carried. In the 16th century the application of this process had become
extended to vases, &c, which, under the name of schmelze and schmelz Aventurine, are to be
found in most public museums, and even private collections. With the decline of the republic,
this, with other secrets of vitreous art, was lost, and its successful revival is due to a
Venetian manufacturer, Lorenzo Radi, of Murano, who, after twenty years of experiment, finally
succeeded in producing what is now termed chalcedony-agate. For this and other revivals of
the decayed glass trade of Venice, the Institute of Fine Arts at Venice awarded Radi a medal in
1856; and in their Transactions it is recorded that "Lorenzo Radi, supported by a firm and tenacious
will, and guided by the experience derived in the course of many years, during which he was
engaged in making gold enamels for mosaics (his success in that process having obtained for
him the large gold medal), has recently been able to introduce into the art of glass-making a
new process, of which the traces had been lost during two centuries. He manufactures a paste,
which, whether blown or cut, completely resembles chalcedony and the other varieties of agate,
all of which he can make at will." Dr. Salviati determined to give wider scope to Radi's
discoveries; and for this purpose, as is attested by an Imperial Commission, in 1861, " he
abandoned a liberal profession, securing to him a distinguished and honoured position, made
long journeys for the purpose of introducing improvements. Unassisted, and not in the possession
of a very large capital, he has founded an establishment, increasing every day in importance.
His own intelligence, his own disinterestedness, and the care which he has devoted to this
new undertaking, are the best guarantees for its future improvement and continued progress."
"In this composition," writes Dr. Salviati, " the basis, like that of other enamels, is vitreous;
but it contains, in addition, a large quantity of metallic elements. It is by the difference in
the number and in the proportion of these, as well as by the variation of their exposure to
the action of fire, that we obtain the quantity, quality, and variety of tints, and, consequently,
the imitation of any species of onyx, quartz, agate, jasper, &c." The glass-works of Venice,
or, rather, of Murano, though sadly fallen off from their ancient celebrity, still employ numerous
workpeople; and in addition to the recent impulse given by Radi and Salviati, we must not
leave unmentioned the Cavaliere Bigaglia, to whom are due great improvements and an important
development in the manufacture of all kinds of glass, especially that in which Salviati has
distinguished himself. The Jury have signified their approbation of the productions of both
these gentlemen by awarding to each a prize medal. We confess that in this revival of schmelze
we missed the fine ruby glow of the old work when held up to the light, and cannot see why
our own manufacturers do not take up the process. The composition of artificial gems and of
schmelze glass is no secret. We read in the "Dictionarium Polygraphicum," A.D. 1735:—"In
this glass you may imitate all the colours of Oriental precious stones, and it is, beyond doubt,
the fairest 'und noblest glass of any other."
CHALCEDONY-AGATE YASES,
BY SALVIATI, VENICE.
A NTONTO SALVIATI, advocate and doctor of law, has, with great energy and perseverance,
-^^ established at Venice a manufactory of glass, mosaic, &c, which promises to have a wide
extension and development. Our illustration will serve to give some idea of the nature of the
chalcedony-agate ware in metal filigree mounts, of which he is the producer. The examples
we have chosen are set in silver and silver-gilt filigree-work: height about twenty inches;
varying in price from 35 to 50 guineas each.
The discovery of the old Venetian schmelze glass, of which this material is a revival, is
ascribed to Cristoforo Briani and Domenico Miotti, glass-workers of Murano, in the 13th or
14th century, who were famous for their coloured beads and imitation precious stones, which,
during the 14th century, formed a large item in Venetian exports wherever European
merchandise was carried. In the 16th century the application of this process had become
extended to vases, &c, which, under the name of schmelze and schmelz Aventurine, are to be
found in most public museums, and even private collections. With the decline of the republic,
this, with other secrets of vitreous art, was lost, and its successful revival is due to a
Venetian manufacturer, Lorenzo Radi, of Murano, who, after twenty years of experiment, finally
succeeded in producing what is now termed chalcedony-agate. For this and other revivals of
the decayed glass trade of Venice, the Institute of Fine Arts at Venice awarded Radi a medal in
1856; and in their Transactions it is recorded that "Lorenzo Radi, supported by a firm and tenacious
will, and guided by the experience derived in the course of many years, during which he was
engaged in making gold enamels for mosaics (his success in that process having obtained for
him the large gold medal), has recently been able to introduce into the art of glass-making a
new process, of which the traces had been lost during two centuries. He manufactures a paste,
which, whether blown or cut, completely resembles chalcedony and the other varieties of agate,
all of which he can make at will." Dr. Salviati determined to give wider scope to Radi's
discoveries; and for this purpose, as is attested by an Imperial Commission, in 1861, " he
abandoned a liberal profession, securing to him a distinguished and honoured position, made
long journeys for the purpose of introducing improvements. Unassisted, and not in the possession
of a very large capital, he has founded an establishment, increasing every day in importance.
His own intelligence, his own disinterestedness, and the care which he has devoted to this
new undertaking, are the best guarantees for its future improvement and continued progress."
"In this composition," writes Dr. Salviati, " the basis, like that of other enamels, is vitreous;
but it contains, in addition, a large quantity of metallic elements. It is by the difference in
the number and in the proportion of these, as well as by the variation of their exposure to
the action of fire, that we obtain the quantity, quality, and variety of tints, and, consequently,
the imitation of any species of onyx, quartz, agate, jasper, &c." The glass-works of Venice,
or, rather, of Murano, though sadly fallen off from their ancient celebrity, still employ numerous
workpeople; and in addition to the recent impulse given by Radi and Salviati, we must not
leave unmentioned the Cavaliere Bigaglia, to whom are due great improvements and an important
development in the manufacture of all kinds of glass, especially that in which Salviati has
distinguished himself. The Jury have signified their approbation of the productions of both
these gentlemen by awarding to each a prize medal. We confess that in this revival of schmelze
we missed the fine ruby glow of the old work when held up to the light, and cannot see why
our own manufacturers do not take up the process. The composition of artificial gems and of
schmelze glass is no secret. We read in the "Dictionarium Polygraphicum," A.D. 1735:—"In
this glass you may imitate all the colours of Oriental precious stones, and it is, beyond doubt,
the fairest 'und noblest glass of any other."