Few brands can boast of a 700-year heritage, and Venetian glazier Barovier & Toso is one of them...
The company’s roots could be tracked back to 1291 on the island of Murano, where Jacobello, the oldest representative of the family, resided. Two centuries later, Angelo invented the Venetian crystal. Noted for its lightness and transparency, the Venetian crystal was a breakthrough at the time.
In 1878, the Barovier family founded Artisti Barovier, later re-named the Vetreria Artistica Barovier&C after WWI. The next star to come out of the house was Ercole Barovier, the 20th generation to the family’s long line. An artisan as well as a suave businessman, E.Barovier had many patents to his name, including that for heat colouring without fusion. It was also during this period that Barovier merged with the Toso family, a Murano glass-blowing company with an equally long history, and became Barovier&Toso.
Currently helmed by Jacopo Barovier, the company has 85 people working at its headquarters in Palazzo Contarini in Murano. In addition to catering to hotels, restaurants and private clients, the maison’s many vivid creations can also be found in fashion and jewellery showrooms such as Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Cartier.
Hosted by J.Barovier, an exuberant cocktail was held to mark the opening of the Barovier&Toso, Shaping emotions for over 700 years exhibition at the ViA showroom in Hong Kong last month. We chat with the soft-spoken businessman about Italian design and his work philosophy.
D.C.
