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city-of-ladies · 3 days ago

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Marietta Barovier (fl. 15th–early 16th century) was one of the rare female glass artists of her time, renowned for both her technical innovations and artistic mastery. Coming from a family with a long tradition of glassworking, she left an indelible mark on the craft.

Inventing the rosette beads

Marietta was the daughter of Angelo Barovier, a master glassmaker, and lived on the island of Murano in the Venice lagoon. Her family, active in the glass trade since the late 13th century, was one of the most esteemed in the field.

In 1460, Marietta inherited her father’s workshop and managed it alongside her brother, Giovanni. In 1480, she revolutionized Venetian glass art by creating the Rosette, a type of intricately layered bead. These beads were made from multiple layers of glass, their structure revealed by the fluted edges at either end. So famous were they that, in 1519, conquistador Hernán Cortés wore a necklace of such beads when he met Emperor Moctezuma II, exchanging it for the Aztec ruler’s gold necklace.

Rosette beads

A renowned glass painter

Beyond bead-making, Marietta was celebrated for her skill as a glass painter. She and another woman, Elena de Laudo, were the only two female artisans among the fourteen specialist glass painters recorded between 1443 and 1517. Like Marietta, Elena hailed from a family of glass artists.

These painters worked with enamel on richly tinted glass—most commonly sapphire blue, but occasionally emerald green or aubergine purple. In 1487, a document records that Marietta was granted a special privilege to construct a kiln specifically for producing “her beautiful unusual and not blown works.”

Although no works can be definitively attributed to her, her family’s inventory provides valuable clues about her creations. One entry mentions a cup painted with a portrait of the poet Dante. Some speculate that she may have contributed to the Coppa Barovier, now housed in Murano’s Glass Museum.

Coppa Barovier

Objects from her workshop featured elaborate enamel decorations, including floral motifs, geometric patterns, and gilded details. Light blue, white, red, and green were the preferred enamel colors. While sacred themes were present, her designs more frequently drew from secular, mythological, and allegorical sources, inspired by contemporary miniatures and woodcuts.

Marietta Barovier likely passed away in the early 16th century.

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Further reading:

Mariacher Giovanni, “Barovier”, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 6

Small Meredith, Inventing the World: Venice and the Transformation of Western Civilization

Syson Luke, Objects of Virtue: Art in Renaissance Italy

#marietta barovier #elena de laudo #history #women in history #women's history #15th century #16th century #historyedit #italy #italian history #venice #murano #venetian glass #women at work #businesswomen #female artists

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beautifulvenezia · 2 days ago

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