Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-30

had just left was comprised within the
rooms We saw. 1t. ike that. was pitch
ed in several places, two or three within
Venice and others elsewhere, in less eN-
pensive locations
We were shown men carving wood for
furniture. for this is part of the art
objects line of business in Venice. Next
a number of girls developing remarkable
things from glass. each with a blowpipe
and gas jet and all sorts of colored
glass at hand for producing the beads
from which the cheap necklaces that are
sold all over Venice are made. One
girl was making glass mosaic jewelry,
and alongside man was fitting bits of
colored glass into mastic bed to form
excellent representation of the facade
of St. Marco, a faVorIte mosaic design,
Other workmen were passed. and finally
a girl spinning glass on great brass
wheel from two sticks of glass which
she held in a gas jet until it reached the
proper constituency before threading it
to a leader.
Then came the exhibition of wares. And
wonderful wares they We're. in all forms
and colors. ranging from little brooches
for :: francs to gorgeous goid-decorated
table sets at several thousand. Room
after room was shown an attendant pre-
ceding us to turn on the switches, 50 that
as we entered each successive chamber of
this fairy palace we We're greeted by
blaze from innumerabls lights incased i'll
the most enchanting of globes and fix
lures.
Development of Business.
This business like practically all 9TH
ers of size in Venice. has developed from
one old building to another as trade has
warranted, until many thousands of
square meters are covered. There We're
probably no less than twenty exhibition
rooms in the place We visited Some of
these concerns occupy old palaces on the
Grand canal for this purpose. practically
in every case maintaining as We'll shops
on the piazza or nearby. In the case of
the artware and glass houses the actual
fabrication is at Murano, lying north of
the lagoon. one of the islet workshops of
this busy community.
We went to Murano to see the glass
made. That is one of the regulation
sights. The gondolier rowed us first
to one of the Grand canal exhibition
places in order. to obtain for us per
messo" to visit the wSrks That seemed
reasonable at first. considering that we
were going to intrude as we thought,
upon a busy manufacturing establish
ment. Later the "permesso" appeared to
be rather supertiuous and the getting of
it only incidental to another round of
tempting wares. But it was all interest
ing, especially as we saw in process of
making the mosaics for the Leland Stan
ford University in California for the re-
placement of those that were DESTROYED by
the earthquake. These are all made from
the first designs. that is to say from the
colored plates on small scale from which
the originals We're created. Artists are en-
larging these plates to the final scale and
Indicating the colorS. These drawings
then form the bases for the mosaics
which are laid upon them in frames and
fastened to them with soluble adhesive
When the design is completed by the
empacement of bits of colored glass, it is
cut into pieces for shipment. AS soon as
the entire series is finished it will be very
carefully packed and sent to California &C
companied by skilled workmen, who will
direct the setting. The mosaic is put on
the space to be covered, in mastic, sec
ton by section. the paper-deSgn side out
ward. When all the parts are lifted to-
gether and have firmly set the paper is
washed off and the surface filed with
finally holding cement.
1t is supposed that the wonderful mo-
sales in st. Marco Church We're not set
in this way. but We're built UP directly
on the walls. workmen placing the glass
SQUARES in the mastic from the designs of
the artists.
Wonder Workers in Glass.
At Murano, which is reached by Condo
la in about half an hour from the show
rooms on the Grand canal by twisting
courses through the rios and then
across the lagoon, past the silent and
grim Campo Santo." or buryins ground,
there We're many callers. The afternoon
is the busy time there in the tourist sea-
SON. A most cordial welcome awaited us.
We were taken in hand by bright young
man, who escorted us through a dark
passage into a tiny court. where we saw
samples of the sand used in the manu-
facture. brought chiefly from Belgium.
Some of the sand comes from the Lido.
a low island lying to the east of Venice.
the bathing resort, but for the making of
the best glass it is not quite equal to
the Belgian material.
The exhibition furnace is a picturesque