This is an ancient technique which you can learn only working, investing time, self-sacrifice and sure natural talent.
Our Art Team boasts two unequalled blower Masters that match their different but complementary skills to create unique pieces every day. The opportnity and the ability to invent are “key ingredients”. Since opening the “Massimiliano Schiavon Art Team” works of really superlative, thinking fusing with the creativity of Massimiliano along with the power of Claudio Zama and Giorgio Valentini to create new and exciting artworks.
Composition and fusing
This phase is always the work of Massimiliano, with imagination and great knowledge of colors, their weights and their fragility; he can match each piece of glass available. Filigree, “zanfirico”, transparent color canes, paste color canes, “avventurina” and every piece of cane previously created in our own furnace.
It is an ancient technique that is independent of blowing. The style of Massimiliano Schiavon’s compositions have become truly recognizable, distinguished by attempted imitations and false copies.
This is a very old technique which that can only be accomplished after the various canes are produced. The canes are selected by Massimiliano, hand cut and then re assembled into a pattern that has nothing to do with blowing. Coloured glass pieces are laid out on a slab and they melt inside an electrical oven at about a temperature of 1300 F.
The style of the compositions of Massimiliano Schiavon have become very recognizable, they are distinguished from attempted imitations and false copies.
Incalmo
The affect is to obtain a blown object that has two different compositions or differently coloured eqaul parts. Two cylindric blown pieces are fused along the edge having the exact same diameter. The pontil is removed from one end and can be further blown and shaped.
Gold and silver leaf on the glass
Square foils of very thin pure gold or silver leaf is laid out on a metal surface. The glass Master rolls the incandescent solid or blown glass on top, so that one or more leaves get attached around the outside wall. By expanding the object by blowing, the gold or silver leaves break-up into a sort of dust.
The surface is often covered with another layer of transparent glass. If silver leaf is not covered, it burnishes.
Ice glass
The decorative technique involves immersing the incandescent glass attached to a blow pipe, in a bucket of water. The thermal shock produces a thick network of surface cracks. The craftsman then delicately heats the object in a furnace so that the ice-like effect keeps, while ensuring the glass wall remains intact.
Sommerso Glass
The Master picks up a small amount of glass with a blow pipe, slightly blows it (if he wants to produce a blown glass object), then immerses it again. He can repeat the operation and using transparent glass can obtain chromatic effects which are extremely evocative (flashing or dip-overlay method).
Sand-blasting
In this process, the surface of the glass is blasted with grains of sand, thereby attacking the glass to make it matt or to make canals of various depths. The parts to be protected are covered with a special adhesive film, while traditionally a glue mixture was used. By repeating the operation over and over again, and protecting each time the parts to be dug less deeply, different types of engravings can be obtained.
Diamond-cut engraving
The “diamond” engraving tool is not only a technique but the important work of our grinding department. They give to every Masterpiece the extra touch that makes it definitely unique and unrepeatable, using an extreme precision, wisdom and genius.
We use special drills with diamond wheels. Cutting the glass often discovers some layers of color otherwise invisible. These Masters give expression to the sculptures and a wealth to the vessels.
This technique is used on our Black Tribe Collection.
Each of our masterpieces is characterized by the incomparable touch of Maestro Wili Bardella and his nephew Luca, who follows his footprints worthily since the Massimiliano Schiavon’s Art Team has grown.