) , The journal of the Center~for Bead Research Volume 11, Number 2 Issue 26 1998 (2 of2) • The Venetian Bead Story, Part 1 : History (Part 2. describing the beads by century, will appear in the next issue) '. A glass factory of the 1 century. Woodcut from Georgius Agricola 1556 De Re Metalica. Basle. Near the head of the man standing at the bottom is a mold similar to that (thougbless . deep than) used for chevrons. Visit us at www.thebeadsite.com. as over 70,000 people do more than a million times a year (as of late September). Attention: an important note for all our subscribers. Some copies of the last issue (25) Vol. 11, No.1, The Glass and Glass Analysis Issue, were sent out incorrectly printed, with the pages mixed up. I have contacted all U.S. members by post and all others I could reach by e­ mail and am announcing here that if this happened to you I am sorry. Let me know and I shall be leased to send .ou a corrected co '. fi . northnet.or - The MARGARETOLOGIST is published twice a year with the most current information OJl bead research, primarily our own, .• USA: Members: $30/2 years, Patrons: $80/2 years, Supporters: $20012 years. Foreign: $35, $90, $210. Upper levels receive more privileges. Entire contents ® 1998 Peter Francis, Jr. Reproduction forbidden in any form without written permission· ISSN 08921 989 . Center for Bead Research, 4 Essedt, Lake Placid, NY 12946-1236 ~ (518) 523-1794 E-mail [email protected] Web site: www.thebeadsite.com -------:------:-----:----------:----:----;---_..._­ '. The Margaretologist Vot 1-1, No. 2 Issue 26 1998 2. Books. The Asian Maritime Bead Trade is coming alo~g. {have b~en invited to do lit 1979, my first bead book, The Story of~abook on the beads from Berenike, pgypt,' o Venetian Beads, was printed in an edition~, to ~over the 'Rmnan period and Roman of only 1000 copies ,because the bead world < trade with the East. I have also been ,asked was then so ~mall. Along with its contpan- to do one on the beads from St. 'Catherines ion on Czech beads, it went out ofprint in a GA, the northernmost Spanis~: mission on few years. By 1988, there was enough new the Atlantic coast. This reveals Veneti~ material to revise then: and include other Spanish and other 17th century beads .. I am European beadmakers ~ ~~ Glass Trade in negotiations. with two other publishers Beads oj Europe. This edition was 1200 for Beads Along theAmerican Frontier and copies, but went out ofprint even faster.· a book on beads ofthe Islamic period. There have been many calls to reprint 3. If anyone would like to help.with the these. I have been slow to do so because of illustrations ofaoy of these books, .please the work involved in incorporating the new contact me. material that.has appeared since. '4. Want to take a Bead Tour? Where? The Margaretologist is increasingly rec- When? We will tailor tours for you and ognized as an important vehicle for bead small groups. Contact me. information. It is appropriate to present· Donit forget to v.isitus at this material here as this journal does not go www.th8bfadsite.com _ go to Gal. out of print and is easily accessible. How- leriesto see the graphics :related to ever, a limitation in doing this is space. this issue of the Margaret%gist. The text of the 1988 work issubstan­ !~~e ~;~~;~a~~eo:;t~ t: Si~:s;;~ rt,';~f%}t'r:~,~l,11t~jJ:~::"~~Ii._l.iiii:.~~:::,!,:l~tJj/'c);:J~ti;fi~1.~ o ments have been skipped. There was.no => mid Jan. - mid May ~99 Research, con· . room to include the section "The Identifi- suiting in India. Sri Lanka . catl'on 'of Venetian Beads" that was so => M.y - Toledo Glass Club => late June - Great Britain popular iIi the 1988 book. It covered the =>5-7 July~ Conference, Leiden beads themselves, using archaeological and => September _ Denver? historical data to date them. This data was => 'March 2000 -BEAD ..........~. lengthy and required a large bibliography. I -' could.have severely abridged it here, but it Send us your email address. : . would have been much less valuable. I " If the last digits on yourmaUing label have decided to make that section the basis are 11.:2,ri's time to renew. ofthe· next Maruaretolouist. Hence, this is " Notify us of any address changes. e,' e,' " Each class of membership receives free .Part 1 ofGlass Beadmaking in Venice. advert'ising'space and free Bead .Identifi­ • IMPORTANT NOTES cation Certificates or Research Reports.. 1. CaD for Papers. The Center and Recut- " MembershipS make wonderful presents. sos are planmng BEAD EXPO 2000 to be '" Encourage your Bead SoCiety. shop or . ­ held in March. A can to those who wish to institution to support us and all bead re- . b· . d Th b'ect· search groups.. • . • present a paper IS emg ma e. e su ~ S The Margret Carey "G~ch~" Award IS gwen will include all tyPes of beads as well ~s to. the person who spots the most ertOrs jewelry, wearable art and related topics. pe·riS$ue. 'One point fora typo, two for an Please contact me if you wish to present a error of.·fact. The·award, has been extended paper or have other ideas for the Expo. to The Bead Site. 2 '-----------~----~--~...........":.--............ ------­ The Margaretologist Vol. 11, No.2 Issue 26 1998 The Venetia", Bead Story 1 • under the direction of the senior judges to One of the world's most exquisite cities, ensure its availability (perrot 1958 10-11). Venice consists of 117 islands in the La­ On 8 November 1291 the Senate de­ goon of Venice sheltered from the Adri­ creed that glassmaking must move from atic Sea by the Lido, a long sand spit. Her Rialto to the island complex of Murano wealth has always come from the .sea. (ancient Amurianas or Amurianum). The Several theories of the origin of glass­ official reason was to shield the wooden making at V enice exis~ but none are 1h buildings of Venice from fire, but it also proven. In the 7 and 8 centuries small helped to control the industry and prevent furnaces on TorceUo Island made table­ glassmakers from leaving. The law was ware and tiles for the cathedral (Gaspa­ not always obeyed; two similar laws were retto 1967, TabaczyJisk8 1~68). Tradition passed in the next 30 years and there was says that in 811 people of the Lido fled still a glassmaker in Rialto in the late 14th the Huns to Rivo Alto (Rialto), the «high century (Hazlitt 1915 :705). bank," thus founding Venice, but radio­ Murano was a draw. By 1350 at least carbon dates beneath San Lorenzo are 60 glassmakers from the Dalmatian Coast from the late 6th and early 7th centuries th th and Italy went there, many apparently and beneath San Marco from the 7 or 8 from the Diaspora (Kurinsky 1991:382-3). (Ammerman et al. 1995). In. 823, St. Venice favored glassmakers. An immi­ Mark's bones were brought from Alexan­ grant could become a citizen in 25 years dria and Venice began to eclipse Torcello. (ibid.). A 1376 law allowed the heirs of a Documents from 982, 1()82. and 1090 glassmaker's daughter and a noble~an to • refer to philolarii or bottle makers at­ inherit his title and in 1490 the gudd was tached to Benedictine monasteries; they placed under the Council of Ten, enhanc­ also made mosaic tiles to decorate San ing its lobbying power (perrot 1958:21). Marco cathedral (Gasparetto 1960:37). In Glassmakers could even buy a title, as the 1072, alum was imported from Alexandria Morellis did in 1686 for 100,000 ducats to make glass; this was forbidden in 1330 (Gasparetto 1958:189). as it resulted in an inferior product (perrot Venice attempted to prevent an exodus 1958:11). In 1224,29 members oftheArs of glassmakers, for a while under penalty Fiolaria, .the glassmaker's guild, were of death. This did not stop many from fined for various rule infractions (Nesbitt leaving, however, and the penalty was ap­ 1879:652), the first mention ofthe guild. plied only twice (Kidd 1979:22). Many In those days of state control of indus­ European powers encouraged glassmakers try, many laws were passed governing and beadmakers, foremost among them glassmalcing. A 1275 edict barred the ex­ France (Scoville 1950:82-3). port of sand, potash or broken glass and As early as 1486, Venetians set up a restricted Gennans from taking more glass bead factory in Bohemia (Jackson 1927). than they could carry on their backs or ten In the 16th century, Venetian glassmakers Venetian lira worth. An edict of 1286 by went to France (Morazzoni 1953:41); the Grand Council set down minimum . England (Winbolt 1933:511; Thorpe 1935: working conditions and ordered the fur­ 120) and Holland (Baart 1988:67). In the naces shut when the weather was hot. In next century, workers were smuggled. ou~ • the next year, the wood for fuel was put to Amsterdam and Zuan Antonio Miottl 3 Th~Margaretologist Vol. 11, No.2 Issue 26 1998 managed a bead factory in Middleburg~ board of all guilds, announced .their sup­ Holland (Zecchin 1971:78, van der Sleen port of glass beadmakers and istopped the ' o 1967:108; Karklins 1974:54-5; Baart export of canes. to Bohemia: for further 1988:67-9). Italian beadmakers were working. The Margariteri and the Pater­ even sent to Jamestown, Virginia (Har­ nostri (organized in 1486) nominally re~ rington n.d.:9; Kidd 1979:50, 78).