Plate

Art Historical Context

This exquisite 16th-century glass from Murano, Venice, exemplifies the golden age of Italian glassmaking, when the island's furnaces produced some of Europe's most coveted luxury goods. Measuring just 7 inches in diameter, this delicate piece likely features the mythical Pegasus—the winged horse of Greek legend—rendered in vibrant enamel decoration, a technique that allowed artisans to paint intricate scenes onto clear, rock-crystal-like glass known as *cristallo*. Murano's guild monopolized these innovations, guarding secrets like filigrana (threaded glass) and complex firing methods to creat...