About Galleria Barovier&Toso

Galleria Barovier&Toso draws upon the extraordinary heritage of Barovier&Toso, the world's oldest glassworks company. The earliest documented evidence of the Barovier family in Murano dates to 1324, when Iacobellus Beroier de Muriano (Iacobello Barovier of Murano) – likely born around 1295 and originally from the Treviso area – is mentioned in legal documents preserved in the State Archives of Venice. The first reference to the family's profession survives in a document from 1343, where Iacobello's son Antonio is qualified as a glassmaker (‘phyolarius’), confirming their activity in glass production. In the fifteenth century, Angelo Barovier rose to fame for his scientific experiments in improving the transparency of glass, while his daughter Marietta was celebrated for the rosette bead, multi-layered star-patterned glass pearls that were exported across Africa and the Americas. The celebrated so-called 'Barovier Cup' at the Glass Museum in Murano, dated to the 1470s, showcases the brilliance of Murano craftsmanship with its crystalline blue glass decorated with polychrome enamels, gold and Renaissance iconographic motifs. Towards the end of the sixteenth century, three Barovier glass-masters each ran their own furnace in Murano, distinguished by the insignias of an Angel, a Bell and a Star, derived from the masters' names, the three elements that would be used in modern times to form the coat of arms of Barovier&Toso. This unbroken tradition of glass artistry and innovation spanning seven centuries provides the foundation upon which Galleria Barovier&Toso builds its contemporary art programme.