No-one likes general adverts, and ours hadn't been updated for ages, so we're having a clear-out and a change round to make the new ones useful to you. These new adverts bring in a small amount to help pay for the board and keep it free for you to use, so please do use them whenever you can, Let our links help you find great books on glass or a new piece for your collection. Thank you for supporting the Board.

Author Topic: Ever heard of Altare?  (Read 5009 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

altareglass

  • Guest
Ever heard of Altare?
« on: September 28, 2005, 05:50:24 PM »
Hello,

I am trying to draw people's attention on Altare, the other great glassmaking center in Italy, active from the 10th Century to about 1975. Altare is a small town located on the hills near Savona, in the Ligurian Apennines. It was chosen by early glassmakers as an ideal outpost for glass production because of its rich forests and favorable geographical placing. Production started in a series of family-owned crucibles, managed officially by a corporation or guild which controlled the secrets of the art and all its intricacies. However, unlike the Venetians, the Altarese were partially free of emigrating abroad. This provided a relief valve for large families and export crises, which were recurrent throughout history as much as they are now. However, the  hemorrhagic loss of know how was to be detrimental to the small glassmaking center, as more and more Altarese implanted successful factories in France, Germany, England, Scotland, the Flanders and the Low Countries. For instance, it was apparently an Altarese who was called by Colbert, the famous French minister, to set up a glass industry in a country that did not have any up to that time. His name was Perotto, naturalized Perrot. The list is long, and this is not the place to give it; however, I would not mind to find out if any of the members know about this odyssey of glass, so to speak, that spread the Altarese art to the most distant countries.

Offline Ivo

  • Author
  • Members
  • ***
  • Posts: 8215
  • Gender: Male
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2005, 06:13:20 PM »
Are there any websites to link to?  We were in the region not so long ago and tried to find information on Altare museums and/ or collections but found everything was 404, offline or only available in flat text Italian.  We'd just love to see some products, and find out if there are collections, or even industries still going in the area.

Offline Frank

  • Author
  • Members
  • ***
  • Posts: 9508
  • Gender: Male
    • Glass history
    • Europe
    • Gateway
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2005, 07:17:11 PM »
Perhaps better in the Glass forum...

Please tell us more, THIS IS THE PLACE.

Anonymous

  • Guest
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2005, 05:34:40 AM »

Offline Ivo

  • Author
  • Members
  • ***
  • Posts: 8215
  • Gender: Male
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2005, 06:59:24 AM »
Thanks Marcus - it is exactly what I mean. We missed the museum which was closed on a Monday - and still have not seen a single glass piece from Altare, not in the flesh and not online.  :(

Anonymous

  • Guest
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2005, 03:35:23 PM »
Thank you for pointing at the website of the Glass Museum in Altare. Actually, for having been involved it its creation and having worked personally at classifying the wealth of pieces that were originally included, I must say that this museum was supposed to be much more than what it eventually turned out to be. At any rate, the (very poorly designed, alas!) website of the museum points in turn to this magazine, "Alte Vitrie" which was originally planned to come out monthly or bimonthly; then yearly. Now the publication has been discontinued for lack of funds. It contained a variety of articles ranging from history to glass composition, all gravitating around Altare.
This very poor state of affairs is due essentially to lack of interest on the part of the local administration. It must be said that, out of the 20 or so families that were originally included in the Art, only a few have not left Altare since the glass factory was closed down in the '70.

I propose in the next few months to put online as many pictures as possible of the masterpieces on display at the Glass Museum. Of course, should anyone be interested in visiting, I will give him/her a few hints on how to get there and get around. In the meantime, my first attempt at making some info available is at this URL: vetroadaltare.blogspot.com

Mind that it is partly in Italian; however the bibliography contains a wealth of material that some of you may find interesting.

Keep me posted.

Offline alteglass

  • Members
  • **
  • Posts: 3
    • http://vetroadaltare.blogspot.com/
More...
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2005, 07:35:30 PM »
Let me just clear up some confusion. First, the previous messages are both from me. Second, I was only 18 or 19 when I helped to sort out the museum pieces, so my recollection isn't rigorous. Third, the website I mentioned earlier is mostly updated and run by my mother, this is why it is in Italian. However, we are currently working at an English version of it.
Still in Italian, a recent book draws the history of the Altarese' migrations:

"Storia del Vetro: il vetro preindustriale dalla Liguria a Newcastle"  Author: Badano, Brondi. Maria. Published by De Ferrari .Genova .1999. NONE, dust jacket only; soft cover. new avail libroco; .text in Italian. glass from medieval times to the 19th century. more text than illustrations; color. b/w; .6.5x9; 182 pages.

More links (all in Italian) can be found at http://web.tiscali.it/altevitrie/VETRO%20BOOKS.htm

Hope some of this is helpful.
iacomo Badano

Sklounion

  • Guest
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2005, 09:28:50 PM »
Giacomo,

Thanks  for this new area for study.

Interesting that the book title mentions pre-industrial glass ties between Liguria and  Newcastle.  Given the quality of the work of the Beilby's and others, this will, no doubt, prompt serious investigation in the UK.

You, and your mother, have done well.

regards,

Le Casson

Offline alteglass

  • Members
  • **
  • Posts: 3
    • http://vetroadaltare.blogspot.com/
Altare Pictures
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2005, 09:50:19 AM »
Hi,

I posted some pictures of Altare production on my site:  http://vetroadaltare.blogspot.com

Soon I will add a sales catalog on the 1950s in pdf format.
iacomo Badano

Offline Ivo

  • Author
  • Members
  • ***
  • Posts: 8215
  • Gender: Male
Ever heard of Altare?
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2005, 11:23:55 AM »
Fascinating! The tank is unique and so is the 1951 recipe for uranium coloured glass.
Looking forward to sales catalogs!

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk
Visit the Glass Encyclopedia
link to glass encyclopedia
Visit the Online Glass Museum
link to glass museum


This website is provided by Angela Bowey, PO Box 113, Paihia 0247, New Zealand