Antique handmade mirror. The mirror frame is decorated with floral ornaments made of Murano glass. Italy, XX century.

Murano is the seven islands of the Venetian Lagoon, which have gained popularity due to the production of unique glass. The secret of making pure colored glass has long remained a mystery due to the special conditions created by the authorities for craftsmen and the constant surveillance of the main keepers of the secrets of "transparent gold".Already at the end of the XIII century, the craftsmen moved from Venice to the island of Murano and became the official suppliers of the kings. Murano glass was distinguished by its purity and transparency: transparent glass was valued on a par with precious stones. Murano glass enjoyed worldwide fame in the period from the XIV to the XVII centuries, then the fashion for it began to fade gradually. The revival of traditions took place in the middle of the XIX century.