The adventure of glass. From the Renaissance to the twentieth century between Venice and distant worlds (Trento, 6/26/10-11/7/10)

L'avventura del vetro. Dal Rinascimento al Novecento tra Venezia e mondi lontani
Trento, Castello del Buonconsiglio
June 26 - November 7, 2010

"At this time [the Renaissance period] Murano’s glass workshops had an enormous influence over the history of glass in Europe, thanks in part to the new discoveries of crystalline glass, milk glass and chalcedony, as well as innovative techniques such as filigrana reticello and filigrana retortoli. Among the astonishing variety of uses to which glass has been put, the exhibition will focus in particular on jewellery production, drinking glasses, goblets, vases and plates for sumptuous table settings and decorative applications. The exhibition, which will unfold in the prestigious setting of Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento and the magnificent rooms of Castel Thun in the Non Valley, will be divided into different sections with evocative scenic reconstructions. These will include the production of glass in a furnace, the identification and preparation of raw materials, glass for dining, for illumination and for grocers’ shops. The exhibition will include exciting reconstructions: as well as seeing a Renaissance Venetian furnace, visitors will be able to enter the belly of a sixteenth-century ship that sank in Gnalic and see the exhibits surface from the water. There will also be a number of films on glass production and the masterpieces produced every day in Murano. A rich section will be dedicated to multicoloured necklaces of glass pearls from public and private collections."