A Fragile Balance: The Venetian Glass Industry in Cross-Cultural Artisitic Exchange with the Islamic World
Graduation Date
Spring 2011
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Heidi Chreiten, PhD
Second Reader
Neal Wolfe, MA
Abstract
This thesis considers the significance of the Venetian glass industry and its economic situation with special emphasis on the effects of trade with the Islamic world. Venice's material opulence was mimicked by the fragile and elegant glass vessels of the day. From the middle of the fifteenth century and for more than two hundred years the glass of Venice enthralled Europe with its élan. Venetians were greatly indebted to Islamic sources for improvements in decoration and techniques, especially in the area of glassmaking. Venetian artisans developed glass which conveyed designs from contemporary Italian Renaissance culture yet still drew motifs from Islamic art. The dynamic relationships Venice forged with its Islamic trading partners provided Venice with both wealth and cross-cultural awareness.