Cristallo versus crystal

In the late 17^th century, the invention of crystal challenged Murano’s centuries-long dominance of the European glass goblet industry.

In the mid-1600s, the glass makers of Murano created extraordinarily ornate and complex glass goblets, exploiting the great clarity of cristallo glass, which had been invented in the mid-15th century by glass master Angelo Barovier. The style of these goblets - Façon de Venise - has been admired and emulated ever since. (See “Competing tastes in glass goblets” on this blog 28^th November 2018)

Ranenscroft goblet 1677

Later in the 17^th century (1673), Englishman George Ravenscroft challenged Murano’s near-monopoly on glass technology with his invention - lead crystal, in which lead replaces the calcium of ‘standard’ (potash) glass.

The inclusion of lead results in glass that has greater ‘brilliance’ or shine and separates light into its component spectra, as a prism does. Further, crystal stayed clear even when thick, whereas cristallo tended to look dark unless it was blown thin. (The Ravenscroft goblet in the illustration is held in the National Museum of Warsaw.)

Another new fashion in glass
Ravenscroft and subsequent crystal manufacturers exploited these refractory properties of the relatively thick crystal, creating a new fashion that challenged the dominance of Façon de Venise. Indeed, the decline in the Façon de Venise style was a major contributor to the decline of Murano’s dominance.

Today, perhaps the best-known legacy of Ravenscroft's creation is Waterford Crystal, which is owned by WWRD Group Holdings Ltd., a luxury goods group which also owns and operates the Wedgwood and Royal Doulton brands, and which was acquired on 2 July 2015 by the Fiskars Corporation.

Source: Dunham, B. S. (2002) Contemporary Lampworking: a practical guide to shaping glass in the flame. Prescott, Arizona: Salusa Glassworks Inc.

This is the third in a series of blog posts about the centuries-old tradition of making glass goblets. Among the many and varied creations of our International Artist in Residence at the 2019 Festival of Glass - Davide Penso (Murano) and Credric Ginart and Karina Guevin (Montreal) - are extraordinary contemporary interpretations of this tradition.