Art Glass Chandeliers: Something Unique

If you’re looking for interesting lighting fixtures here’s a museum in Japan full of them guaranteed to inspire you.

A museum in the Hakone region of Japan, (a few hours from Tokyo) houses some of the most interesting Venetian crystal ornamentation and lighting. The Venetian Glass Museum or the Hakone Glass Forest, as it’s called, is a great way to see crystal and Murano glass in all its splendor, because, unlike a typical museum, a portion of the displays begin outside where entryway trees are festooned in Murano crystal; some clear, others in beautiful rich colors. These crystal filled trees line the museum’s courtyard.

The museum itself contains some very exquisite Murano glass chandeliers dating back to the 18th century. Period piece rooms are filled with ornate crystal chandeliers - a different kind of visual experience for the Murano glass lover, a Venetian style of production that dates back hundreds of years.

Murano glassmaking began in the 13th century when glassmakers in Venice were banned to the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon. Some of this was based on safety to ensure the hot fires needed to make glass would not burn down Venice but another reason was to keep the knowledge of the craft secret and specific to the area. Glassmakers of Murano (at the time) were actually forbidden to share their trade secrets with foreigners nor were they allowed to leave the island, an offense punishable by death. Venetian glassmakers were the leaders in glassmaking throughout the middle ages, right up until the 19th and 20th century when they were finally upstaged by the Bohemian and English glassmakers.

Murano glass is still renowned throughout the world. Glassmakers on Murano work much the same way they did hundreds of years ago but now it’s possible to find much more affordable Murano reproductions.

Museum houses airport’s chandelier
A GRAND Venetian chandelier that once graced Manchester Airport has moved to a new home.

21st Century Venetian Glass
The Donghia collection of Venetian glass lighting designs are twenty-first century, but they are at home in any decor.

  Classic Italian
This is a typical Venetian bedroom, the chandelier is Venetian glass, the decorative accents are trumph l’oeil or wall paintings;

The Utility of Mirrors
Venetian, antique and traditional are more expensive than modern designs. Some online retail mirror stores have toll free customer services and free shipping facilities.

  Vintage Venitian glass beads
It is made of venetian glass hand made lamp work beads. The pinks, blue and gold combination would make this a very collectable necklace.

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