Verre à pied et à couvercle, Venise ou façon de Venise, dernier tiers XVIe/début XVIIe s., H 37,1 cm, Ø couvercle 11,2 cm, Bâle, Historisches Museum © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)

REFLETS DE VENISE

-16th and 17th Century Glass in Swiss Collections

31/5/2015-1/11/2015

In the Renaissance and Baroque period, glass objects produced either in Venice itself or, modelled on these Venetian pieces, in other places (façon de Venise)were considered the most beautiful and precious of their time. They were marked out for the art collections and the cabinets of curiosities of royalty, the aristocracy and the rich bourgeoisie. Thanks to fortunate circumstances, some have survived to this day here in Switzerland. This exhibition brings together for the first time the most important of these objects to be found in the possession of Swiss museums and private collections.

Posted 5 June 2015

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The two hundred pieces on display demonstrate the incomparable variety and virtuosity of Venetian glass art and its influence on the other centres of production throughout the whole of Europe.

Coupe sur pied, Venise ou façon de Venise, XVIIe s., H 9,2 cm Ø coupe 28,7 cm, Genève, Musée Ariana © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)


Quatre verres à jambe, façon de Venise, années 1680, H env. 21 cm Ø coupes env. 7,1 cm, Coire, Rätisches Museum/Zurich, Musée national suisse (4e verre) © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)		Glass objects for many different uses and in the most diverse forms are presented, in a sequence dating from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 18th. In addition, hundreds of fragments of glasses of this type, discovered in numerous archaeological excavations in Switzerland, are brought together in one place for the first time, and illustrate the kinds of Venetian or façon de Venise glasses that were in use here. And not just that: excavations of glassworks in the Jura have furnished spectacular proof that what for a long time was regarded as Venetian glass was in fact also produced here in Switzerland – and this despite the legendary determination of Venice to keep its composition and sophisticated production techniques secret.

Vase, Toscane (?), fin XVIe/1ère moitié XVIIe s., H 25,9 cm Ø max. 11,5 cm, Genève, Musée Ariana © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)

Plat, Venise ou façon de Venise, 2e ou 3e quart XVIe s., H 6,4 cm Ø 47,6 cm, collection privée © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)

Bouteille, Venise, XVIIe s., H avec bouchon 24,5 cm Ø max. 10,8 cm, collection privée © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)


Remarkable Documentary Films on Production Techniques The Vitromusée has enlisted the expertise of William Gudenrath, glass blower and glass historian at the Corning Museum of Glass (USA), for the exhibition. In several films, Gudenrath - a specialist in the historical procedures of Venetian glass production – can be seen demonstrating how certain pieces on display would have been made. Demonstration 5 – 6 September : 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm The glass blower and glass historian William Gudenrath (USA) invites you to join him as he demonstrates the historical techniques of glassblowing à la façon de Venise.		Gobelet, Orléans (?), Bernard Perrot (?), vers 1670 (?), H 8,4 cm Ø max. 8,4 cm, collection privée © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)


Trois verres à jambe, façon de Venise, 2e moitié XVIIe s., H 16,7/21,8/18,9 cm Ø coupe 11/7,7/7,5 cm, Bâle, Historisches Museum/Saint-Gall, Historisches und Völkerkundemuseum/Zurich, Musée national suisse © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)		Guided Tour by the Curator of the Exhibition 5 September : 5 pm Erwin Baumgartner, curator of the exhibition, guides you through the fascinating world of Venetian glass. See the Agenda> Vitromusée Romont Au Château CH-1680 Romont +41 (0)26-652 10 95 info@vitromusee.ch http://www.vitromusee.ch


Coupe sur pied (détail), Venise, fin XVe s./vers 1500, H 15,2 cm Ø coupe 26,5 cm, collection privée © Vitromusée Romont (photo : Bernhard Schrofer)		Congrès International \| Internationaler Kongress 20e Congrès de l’Association internationale pour l’histoire du verre 20. Kongress der Internationalen Vereinigung für die Geschichte des Glases 7 – 11 septembre 2015, informations: www.aihv2015.ch The 20th Congress of the International Association for the History of Glass will take place in Fribourg and in Romont, Switzerland, from Monday 7th September to Friday 11th September 2015. It will be organised by the Vitrocentre and Vitromusée Romont in cooperation with the University of Fribourg. Three parallel sessions of lectures are planned, along with poster presentations. The programme leaves time for sightseeing, and participants will also have the opportunity of visiting exhibitions specially organised for the congress, in museums in Fribourg and in Romont. The visit of Wednesday 9th September 2015 to the exhibition in the Vitromusée Romont of Venetian and façon de Venise Renaissance glass from Swiss collections will include a demonstration by Bill Gudenrath from the Corning Museum of Glass (NY, USA). He will show glass blowing techniques used in the creation of some of the pieces on display. Two one-day post-conference tours are proposed.