Barovier&Toso

In the last article, we talked about sunshine, love and ease embodied by the Italian outdoor furniture brand RODA. This time, let's go gently into the night，and capture the stars with the Italian Venetian crystal lighting brand: Barovier & Toso, the oldest glass blowing manufacturer in the world and also one of the oldest family businesses.

In The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard （renowned French philosopher of science in the 20th century, founder of the new French epistemology）describes the light as such: "With the light, the distant house is looking, guarding, gazing, waiting... because of that light, the house takes on a human nature." If lights are truly "stars caught and imprisoned by a momentary freeze" then Barovier & Toso's stars not only give warmth to the darkness and the household, but also a homage to the centuries of heritage, the accumulation of time and craftsmanship.

The Ancient Art of Shaping Stars from the Sand

Barovier & Toso, a top Italian lighting brand, has inherited the art of mouth blown Venetian crystal since it was founded in 1295. Situated on the island of Murano in Venice, its product line covers different styles from classical to modern. Endless colors and forms, and the purest light, recreate the language of ancient stars in the dark night.

The main raw material of the dazzling Venetian crystal is the most common sand, just as the stars in the sky are made of insignificant stones and stardust. The formation of the stars in the sky is the work of the Creator's hand, while Venetian crystal is the result of generations of creative and imaginative craftsmen.

The craftsmen of Barovier&Toso still use the tools from the old times: pipes, pliers, shears, gauges, templates and molds, and much of the work is done by hand. The clarity, purity and luster of each piece are the result of experience and skill.

Thanks to a decree issued by the Republic of Venice in 1455, Angelo Barovier was granted the exclusive right to produce "Cristallo Veneziano" (Venetian crystal). Of the many glass manufacturers on the entire island of Murano in Venice, only Barovier & Toso's work can be called "Venetian mouth-blown crystal", while other glassmakers can only use the term "mouth-blown glass".

What makes Barovier&Toso's recipe so special is the complete absence of lead and arsenic in it. This is unlike any other crystal on the market and allows artisans to complete the entire production process while safeguarding health and achieving extraordinary product results. Venetian crystal is a unique, sustainable and safe material that achieves works of great artistic value while cherishing and protecting each of the artisans who put their hearts and souls into this.

A Slow Craft of Making Stars with Heart

Over the past few centuries, various fashion trends have come and gone, some minimal, some baroque, each desperately chasing time in an attempt to be the latest in the spotlight. In contrast, time in Venice passes slowly. There is no rush, no craze, just plenty of space and time to develop the craft, like the formation of a star that requires the patient polishing of nature.

Barovier & Toso take their time, preferring to do something unique and inspiring that stands the test of time, rather than something new that only fascinates you for a season. It takes strength and skill to bring Venetian Crystal out of the fire and heat and to turn it into a star that conquers the darkness. Moreover, it takes heart and a lot of love to balance innovation and tradition, thus bringing a legendary lighting brand into new worlds.

Barovier & Toso has the heart and can afford the luxury of time. Venetian Crystal takes a long time to make, starting with the preparation of partìa (the raw material for blowing glass, a mixture of sand and other powders) every afternoon, followed by a full night in the furnace at over 1200 degrees. The next day, the artisans start to give initial shapes to the pieces, then after cooling down, the artisans finish the final work on the third day. This cycle goes on and on without interruption.

What is particularly noteworthy is that unlike most luxury goods production today, where many brands will only inspect a few samples and not take the time to examine each product, the artisans of Barovier & Toso work on each piece by hand when it cools, and every piece is carefully inspected for quality. Here, each product is treated as a star, just like the stars in the sky each with its own irreplaceable significance.

Stars in the Sky and in the Secular World

Humans yearn for light, hope and eternal things. We wish upon the stars and they hold our never-stopping curiosity and dreams for the world. In Venice in the middle of the 16th century, the desire for eternal light was realized as people sang and danced in the palaces with Venetian crystal chandeliers. And Barovier & Toso has found an unwavering gesture and elegant expression of this eternity.

When we look up at the stars, every beam of light we see comes from a star that might be trillions of years old, or even a star that may have fallen. And when we look at the Venetian crystal lights, they are the legacy since the Renaissance; they are the masters who have passed away and who are still around; they are the stars that once shone and are still shining in this human world. Barovier & Toso is a story about stars, about light and darkness, and also a story about eternal dreams, imagination and creativity.

When humans were still in the primitive tribe, everyone would sit around the fire, cooking, talking, temporarily putting aside the fatigue brought by the day's work, watching the stars in the sky, wondering about the possibilities of the world, and thinking about the origin of everything. Home was in the midst of nature, and the connection between home and outside space was organic; people rejoiced at the gift of nature and trembled at its power.

Nowadays, our buildings are higher and higher, and we live closer and closer to the sky, but the scene of the starry night is probably already blurred in our memory. Perhaps the lights, like the unchanging stars of the ages, record time in the darkness of the night, making us pause from the rush of daily life, and allowing our souls to catch up with our footsteps, so that we don't lose ourselves.

The peace and dreams of the inner world need the shelter of the home and also the nourishment of nature. When the home no longer experiences various conflicts in nature, no longer trembles for a storm or a lightning, what will be our relationship with home, with nature and with our heart? Stay tuned, in the next article, we'll continue our exploration with the home decor world and the nature - from the sunlight and the stars to the flowing water.

Organizer: JP Concept China
Producer: Yi
Editor: Xinwei
Image copyright: Barovier&Toso