Together with Fratelli Toso, Artisti Barovier was the first to use murrine glass in composing decorative vases, initially in naturalistic floral patterns.
Business began in 1884 when Giovanni Barovier and his nephews Giuseppe, Benvenuto, and Benedetto assumed the management of one of Murano’s most prestigious glass furnaces, Salviati dott. Antonio 1859, one that had been a driving force behind the rebirth of the Venetian glass sector. Under the leadership of Benvenuto and Giuseppe, and with its sophisticated productions, the company rose to fame quickly. In an initial phase, the works seemed to be still anchored to tradition and the classic themes of the 1800s, but by the end of the century some of their creative experiments had led to the creation of a new type of vetro murrino, a mosaic-glass they used in floral, Art Nouveau style for all kinds of ornamentation.
Artisti Barovier welcomed the stylistic influences of Art Nouveau with enthusiasm, and their compositions were the subjects of great interest at the Exhibition of Artistic glass of Murano and Venice (1895) and during the events at Ca' Pesaro (1908, 1909 and 1913). These were the years Artisti Barovier worked with Vittorio Zecchin and Teodoro Wolf-Ferrari. When the First World War broke out, the company moved temporarily to Tuscany, and in 1919 changed name to Vetreria Artistica Barovier when Benvenuto’s sons Ercole and Nicolò, and Giuseppe’s son Napoleone entered the company.
