The style is the main distinction between Venetian and Bohemian glass. The Bohemian style uses more melting techniques and a bolder style of painting than the Venetian style, which involves a lot of intricate painting. Venetian glassware is usually more expensive and less mass-produced than Bohemian glassware.
Ground quartz, which is silica, and iron oxide were used the Bohemians to make glass in the past. This results in a greenish tinted glass that was once commonly used for everyday items. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Bohemians began blowing glass for trade. Since the thirteenth century, Venice has been a major trade center for glass. The Venetian Glassmaker’s Guild was founded in 1291 on the nearisland of Murano, where the majority of Venetian glass was produced.
When Venetians invented enamel paint during the Renaissance in the sixteenth century, European glassmaking changed forever. Despite the Venetians’ best efforts, the Bohemians adopted the technique as well. The painting styles of Venetian and Bohemian artists, on the other hand, were vastly different. Families like the Schurers of Northern Bohemia, for example, became known for melting blue cobalt glass, whereas Venetian glassmakers are known for more delicate and less bold designs.
Today, Bohemia is better known for its crystal production than Venice. When lead oxide (PbO) is added to the basic glassmaking minerals and impurities such as iron are removed, glass becomes crystal. Whether or not lead is present, crystal has the highest clarity and brilliance. PbO, on the other hand, affects the crystal’s durability and makes it easier to cut. The European Union (EU) now defines crystal as having a PbO content of 4% or more, and glass as having a PbO content of less than 4%.
“Overshot glass” is a bubbly, textured material invented in sixteenth-century Venice and popularized in Bohemia and other countries. It’s made rolling hot glass gobs in finely ground shards, then reheating the shards just long enough to melt any sharp edges. Most Venetian glassware is now handcrafted artists and is more expensive than mass-produced Bohemian glassware.