Autoritratto in mosaico di Vincenzo Moretti Murano, Vincenzo Moretti e figli, 1886 Collezione Giusy Moretti H 40 cm L 34,50 cm Paste vitree

Famous self-portrait in glass mosaic that Vincenzo Moretti made in 1886 with the help of his children, as documented by the inscription on the back: “This portrait painted by himself and his sons in 1886 depicts the technician of the company Venezia and Murano Moretti Vincenzo, the same one who in 1876 won many difficulties in murrini glasses (…) composed “Vincenzo Moretti who began his glass adventure as a simple “tiracanna” in the factory of Bigaglia’s counters, thanks to his continuous curiosity, the strong manual skills and his refined artistic taste. became one of the key figures of the Muranese rebirth of the second half of the nineteenth century as a technician – composer in the mosaic glaze workshop of the Salviati company, which from November 1872 will change its name into “Compagnia di Venezia and Murano of glass and mosaics Salviati & C. “It was thanks to him that in 1876, after several attempts, it was possible to reproduce the Roman millefiori glass and Ales sandrini, great success of the Universal exposition of Paris of 1878 after which they were called “Murrini glass”, a word that will remain permanently in the Murano glass dictionary to designate any glass composed by melting slices of cane containing any design and derived from the XXXVII book of Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder to indicate a mysterious mineral of oriental origin. This same portrait served as a model to Vincenzo and Luigi Moretti for the realization of the first cane depicting the technician

 

Bibliography: Sarpellon 1990

 

Exposed in numerous exhibitions including: “Miniatures of glass”, murrine 1838-1924, Venice 1990 Branching East and West Across Time and Space. The Beautiful World of Mosaic. Venetian Glass and Wooden Mosaic of Hakone “, April 20, 2013 – November 24, 2013 HAKONE, Japan