Vetreria Zecchin Martinuzzi

The firm Zecchin Martinuzzi Vetri Artistici e Mosaici was founded in 1932 by the sculptor Napoleone Martinuzzi and by the engineer Francesco Zecchin, both of whom had worked at Venini's, where Martinuzzi had held the art director position until

Production was at once characterized away from the other Murano glasswares, both for the clear Novecento inspiration and for the usage of thick and opaque materials, such as vitreous pastes, pulegoso glass and crudo ("raw") glass (a type of glass characterized by an irregular material and by lots of air bubbles generated by an incomplete firing).

While going against the classical tradition of light and transparent glass, the workshop received favourable critical comments, and the magazine "Domus" dedicated extensive reports to it as an example of Muranese revival. Present at the 1932 and 1934 Venice Biennali with a series of vases, plants and figures, mostly executed by the maestros Otello Nason and Alfredo Barbini, the firm had to face a high number of financial difficulties, so that in 1936 Napoleone Martinuzzi decided to leave the firm to dedicate more time to his real interest: sculpture.

The engineer Francesco Zecchin continued the workshop's activity along the lines followed up to that time, but eventually closed the furnace down in 1939.

The history of this glass factory, lasted only a few years, has represented one of the most significant episodes for the revival of Muranese glassmaking art between the two world wars.

It had indirect developments, in the years to come as well, especially because of the relationship of cooperation that took place between Napoleone Martinuzzi and Alfredo Barbini, whose autonomous artistic development is very much indebted to the period spent in this furnace.