Venetian Glass Mirror

Venetian glass mirrors are probably the finest mirrors available today and many years ago too. It is said that Murano glass mirrors are better but the jury is still out on that matter.  Venetian glass mirrors are works of art. They are, as you might imagine, made in Venice, Italy. This is not a style, or a fashion, these mirrors have been made there for six hundred years. Mirrors for kings and queens were made in these factories.

Venetian glass mirrors do not have frames; they are stuck to a piece of wood that serves to hang it on the wall. The glass and all the ornaments on it are held together by other pieces of glass. They are a very complex structure that only they know how they make it stick together but they do and they have, for hundreds of years. They are not square or rectangular, they are not round either, the central mirror is generally oval but it is surrounded by a series of intricate designs that give the complete mirror the look of a coat of arms seal . They are made of separate pieces of mirror with different shapes that come together as one. All the joints are covered with other pieces of Venetian glass that have different colors and textures. They are also decorated with colored glass flowers which match the glass used to cover the joints. The flowers are delicately made, they have petals and leaves, and the detail in them is exquisite.

These are the simple everyday Venetian glass mirrors. When the manufacturers get fancy, the mirrors are layered like pyramids fallen on their side, coming out from the wall. The largest in existence has three different layers of glass which if you put it flat on a table separates the largest mirror surface from the base an amazing ten inches. The base of the mirror, when we take of the fancy trims and leave a rectangle is fifteen by ten feet while the top most flat surface is nine by four feet and it weighs a total of two hundred and twenty pounds of Venetian glass mirror.

Imitations are available but they copy the style and design not the glass itself, that can’t be done. You can also go to Venice and buy a small Venetian glass mirror for your home but whatever size you chose, it will set you back some. They are hand made by artisans who have inherited their technique from generation to generation until the present when they continue using the same methods as hundreds of years ago. You can also order one for your home and they will manufacture it with your specifications but, you must pay for it in advance and then sit around at home for six months before it is finally delivered. Venetian glass mirrors are the Ferraris of mirrors and they will remain so for ever because each and every one of them is a work of art.