The glass
workshops of Constantinople, which became the main city of the Byzantine
Empire, occupied an entire area near the marina. And in another part of the
city, where ancient palaces, temples, mosques are located, you can see painted
glass windows and glass ornaments sparkling like precious stones on palaces
walls and ceilings.
 |
| Modern Persian Glass Vase |
All this has
been preserved since that time, which is commonly called the Middle Ages. Glass
at that time continued to be considered a luxury item, although many countries
already knew how to make it.
But centuries
passed, and the Constantinople masters got competitors and rivals. At first, they showed up in Persia. A beautiful vase dating back to the sixth century has
been preserved. It is made by Persian craftsmen and made of gold, rock crystal,
and stained glass. And at the end of the ninth century, that is, more than a
thousand years ago, the Italian city of Venice became the main rival of
Constantinople.
Through this
city, which grew up on the picturesque islands of the Adriatic Sea, ships
sailed with all the goods of Constantinople. There were ships with glass.
 |
| Venetian Glass |
The Venetians
were very smart and enterprising guys. They built their merchant fleet and
began to buy glass products in Constantinople and export them to other
countries, as the Phoenicians once did, reselling products of glass craftsmen
from Egypt.
Gradually
they themselves learned to make glass things and reached such perfection that
no one could distinguish a copy from the original.
