Inside the last glass furnace in Venice making mosaics for the Sagrada Familia and the emir of Dubai
The Orsoni furnace in Venice has been crafting colored glass mosaics for 135 years. Workers use techniques that have been passed down for four generations. Each piece of glass is handmade, and the works can be seen on buildings worldwide. Today, Orsoni is the last of its kind — the only historical furnace permitted to operate in the city of Venice. But finding the next generation is a struggle. So what does its future hold? We visited the artisan mosaic glass maker to find out how it is still standing.
For more information, visit Orsoni's website: https://orsoni.com/
For more information, visit Orsoni's website: https://orsoni.com/
Transcript
00:00 Making mosaic tiles sometimes starts with one giant glass bubble, shaped by gravity.
00:08 It will eventually be broken, covered in 24-karat gold leaf, and topped with molten glass.
00:17 The final pieces are tiny, but they cover massive monuments, like this 138-foot-tall Golden Buddha in Thailand.
00:28 Orsoni has been making mosaics since 1888, and it's the last glass factory still operating in the city of Venice.
00:37 There were once hundreds of glass furnaces spread across Venice and the island of Murano.
00:48 But many have closed their doors in recent years, when gas prices began to rise.
00:55 We went to Venice to see how this 135-year-old business is still standing.
01:01 Every morning, Constantino Drayi checks on the molten glass that has been cooking overnight at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:13 He's working on an order of blue glass with Orsoni's color master, Michaele Giomana.
01:22 They add powdered coloring to the molten glass and start mixing.
01:27 They take out a small sample and wait for the color to reveal.
01:34 Michaele breaks the slab in small pieces and dips it in cold water.
01:47 If the color is not exactly right, they toss the pieces back into the furnace and start over.
01:53 It's a long process of trial and error that can take five times to get right.
02:11 When they eventually do, this 50-year-old machine flattens it into slabs less than half an inch thick.
02:18 The glass then sits in a kiln for six hours to harden.
02:24 Finally, it goes to Orsoni's legendary color library.
02:32 There are almost no shades they haven't produced.
02:37 The room holds more than 3,500 shades.
02:41 This variety is what brought international attention to the business back in 1889.
02:47 Workers still hand-cut every single tile.
02:53 These machines are the exact replica of the ones used here over a century ago.
03:00 Each worker makes around 10 pounds of tiles in one hour.
03:06 This kind of colored glass mosaic is called smalti, and it dates back to the 3rd century BC.
03:13 Antonella Galenda has mastered the ancient method, adjusting each tile to fit the design, like a puzzle.
03:23 It takes her a week to finish an art piece this size.
03:27 Bigger ones take months to complete.
03:31 Orsoni also specializes in tiles covered in glass.
03:38 She's a master of the art of glass.
03:42 She's a master of the art of glass.
03:47 Orsoni also specializes in tiles covered in gold, and it starts with transparent glass.
03:55 Michaele rolls the molten glass back and forth on a metal table to mold it.
04:06 An air compressor shapes the glass into a giant 40-inch bubble.
04:15 He has to be careful. If it's too thin, it could shatter.
04:20 Michaele used to blow the bubble himself, but a machine saves him time.
04:28 When he's happy with the size, he cuts it at the tip.
04:34 He makes 70 glass bubbles in a single day.
04:42 Next, the thin bubbles are cut into smaller square pieces.
04:47 They end up with Rosella, who pairs them with the 24-carat gold sheets.
04:56 Orsoni buys the gold from a family that makes it with ancient techniques.
05:03 She passes every piece on top of the steam, which works as glue.
05:10 Back in the furnace, the glass burns at a lower temperature, 1900 degrees Fahrenheit, to make it less liquid.
05:18 Workers place the sheets on a spinning wheel and add the molten glass on top.
05:25 And then a pressing machine flattens them.
05:34 They can make 2,200 of these in a single day.
05:39 When the glass cools, it ends up with Manuela Bonicelli, who cuts the plates into small pieces.
05:47 She dips the edge of a diamond-shaped cutter in petroleum jelly to help the blade glide smoothly.
05:57 She can spend eight hours breaking each gold leaf into 16 perfect squares.
06:04 It may seem simple, but it can take a toll on the body.
06:09 Manuela started working here when she was just 16 years old.
06:25 There were older men than me. It's not a school, but these men taught me.
06:32 When you get a job and you see that the plates are perfect, it really moves you. I have to tell you the truth.
06:46 Artisans have been making glass in Venice since the 5th century.
06:52 And the mosaics industry flourished on the island until 1291, when all glass furnaces were ordered to move to the island of Murano.
07:01 The government said it was to prevent risk of fire, but many historians believe it was to isolate secret glassmaking techniques.
07:11 Angelo Orsoni was born in Murano in the mid-19th century and started working in the glass factories when he was seven.
07:21 The celebrated mosaic artist Gian Domenico Facchina recognized his talent and offered him a job at his Venice workshop in 1877.
07:30 A decade later, Orsoni inherited the business.
07:35 His work received international attention in 1889 at the Exposition of Paris, when he presented a tile panel featuring hundreds of colors from his library.
07:47 It was the same fair that celebrated the debut of the Eiffel Tower.
07:52 But the glass industry in the Venetian islands has been shrinking for decades now.
07:59 Gian Carlo Signoretto runs a glass workshop two miles away in Murano.
08:05 We met him in 2021, when he was mentoring his assistant Agnese.
08:11 But he had struggled to find young apprentices for years.
08:16 If we don't have young people today, we have to find apprentices.
08:19 I believe that teaching and leaving something is an added value for a master.
08:24 His biggest challenge came that same year, when gas prices rose significantly in Italy, making it unaffordable for many.
08:34 That's because back then, Europe imported about 40% of its natural gas from Russia, which had been limiting the supply.
08:44 Using less gas isn't really an option.
08:47 These furnaces have to run 24/7.
08:51 If the temperature drops below 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, the crucibles inside will crack and break.
09:09 Rebuilding and reheating the furnace could take weeks and cost up to $22,000.
09:15 Gian Carlo managed to keep his furnace burning throughout the crisis.
09:30 But some of his gas bills were four times higher than usual.
09:36 He started traveling and selling his art in other towns in Italy and abroad.
09:41 So far, the extra cash has been enough to pay the bills.
09:46 But not all glassmakers have been lucky.
09:50 We also visited one of the only women-owned workshops in Murano in 2021.
09:57 Chiara Tarraio and Mariana Oliboni had just opened it, weeks before gas prices piked.
10:05 If things continue like this, we can't move forward.
10:09 Chiara spent the inheritance from her mother's death to keep the doors open.
10:16 Their gas bills were so high, they applied for reimbursement through a government relief program, but the funding never came.
10:26 Gas prices eventually went down in 2023.
10:31 But by then, rent was also spiking.
10:35 The duo closed their workshop and started renting space in other furnaces to do their artwork.
10:41 Chiara launched her own mobile studio and plans to travel across Italy to teach glassmaking.
10:49 Orsoni's extensive list of prominent clients helped keep the furnace burning.
11:01 Its glass mosaics adorn the Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia, one-third of which is gold.
11:08 This portrait of the Emir of Dubai has 100 pounds of tiles.
11:13 Artists spent months matching 80 different shades and colors, only to get the skin tone right.
11:20 In 2003, Orsoni was acquired by the Trend Group, a global producer of glass and glassware.
11:30 They were the first producer of glass and gold mosaic.
11:33 Since then, the company expanded its customer base, forging partnerships with renowned fashion names like Dolce & Gabbana.
11:42 Together, they created earrings with micro-mosaic pieces.
11:47 Orsoni also crafted a limited edition of 18 bottles for the Dominican Republic rum brand, Brugel.
11:57 But its biggest project yet is the People's Salvation Cathedral in Romania, with 4 million gold mosaic tiles decorating it so far.
12:06 Finishing the project will take three more years.
12:10 But even Orsoni has struggled to recruit younger artisans.
12:16 Constantino is the only apprentice here learning to work with molten glass.
12:24 I think it's very important, especially because of the character of Venice.
12:28 Manuela is planning to retire in four years.
12:32 And she's thinking about the future of the Venetian institution she's dedicated her life to.
12:39 I hope that people will find, not just me, because we're not all the same, people who love my work.
12:49 [Music]
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