Free Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill Page B

institutions of the Republic of Venice were housed until the Napoleonic era.
ducat —the most valuable Italian currency during the fifteenth century. It was a small gold coin with the Doge’s picture on it.
enameler —one who practices the glass art of enameling. Enamel is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually at between 1380 and 1560 degrees Fahrenheit, until the powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass, or ceramic. Frit is also often used in enameling. The fired enameled ware is a fully laminated composite of glass and metal.
fornica —Italian for “furnace,” the location where glassblowing takes place. This oven holds liquid glass and is usually heated to about 2000 to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit.
frit —the hard substance the glass becomes as it is formed. Also, tiny chips of glass that can be used in the coloring process.
gaffer —a glassblower.
gilder —someone who performs gilding, a decorative technique wherein gold leaf or silver is applied to surfaces such as wood, metal, or stone.
gondola —a traditional, flat-bottomed rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries, gondolas were the chief means of transportation and the most common watercraft within Venice.
jacks —large tongs that are used to create scores in the neck of a piece of glass. It is often the main tool used by glassblowers.
lip —the top edge of the piece of glass.
maestro —an Italian glass master.
manganese —a metal that helps keep the glass clear and pure. Known as “glassblowers’ soap,” it’s the third ingredient used in making the mixture for a batch of cristallo.
marver —a marble table that is used to roll and shape the glass.
mi rifiuto —Italian for “I refuse.”
moile —the blob of molten glass that is on the steel blowpipe or punty.
Murano —a series of islands off the northeast coast of Venice best known for glassblowing. In 1291, the Venetian government moved the glassblowing industry to Murano, purportedly to prevent fires but also to control its most profitable industry.
neck —the edge of a piece of glass that will be scored and separated when it is transferred to the punty.
paddle —a wooden tool that flattens the bottom of a piece of glass.
palazzo —a palace or large house.
Piazza San Marco —(St. Mark’s Square) generally known as the Piazza, the political, social, and religious center and principal square of Venice. In the fifteenth century, the bricked pavement would have been laid, the Doge’s palace would have been part of the square (or what is known as the Piazzetta), and St. Mark’s Basilica would have existed as well.
pincers —a tool that can be used to develop glass, to fix handles, and to form the spout on jugs. Pincers are also used to guide the color patterns, to manipulate the shape of the glass, and to open the piece by hand.
podesta —the political leader or chief magistrate of an Italian city-state. The political leader of Murano in the fifteenth century.
punty/pontil —the solid metal rod a glassblower uses for bits and to transfer glass from the blowpipe.
Rialto Bridge —the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal in Venice. The stone bridge that you see today was designed by Antonio da Ponte and finished in 1591, so at the time of this book, the Rialto Bridge would have been made of wood. One of the wood versions of the bridge had collapsed in 1444, but the one that existed in 1465 would have looked remarkably similar to the stone version that you see standing today.
ricordare —Italian for “remember.”
rosary —from the Latin for “garland of roses,” a Catholic devotion. The rosary is a necklace of prayer beads that is used to count a series of prayers—Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father—along with praying one of now twenty mysteries of the rosary.
senator —one who wore red robes and served as part of the government of the Republic