Glass Blowers of Murano 1886

Charles Frederick Ulrich painted "Glass Blowers of Murano" in the late nineteenth century. The painting presents a seemingly candid snapshot of Venetian artisans at work, but it's as much a commentary on the Gilded Age art market as it is a depiction of labor. Ulrich, an American artist, found success crafting genre scenes of working-class Europeans for wealthy American collectors. In the 1880s, Murano glass was highly prized, its history burnished by the stories that linked it to the artistic heritage of the Renaissance. Yet, Ulrich does not focus on aesthetic refinement. Instead, he turns his eye to the division of labor within the workshop. The figures, caught in the act of creation, demonstrate the skill and technique involved in this meticulous form of craft. The inclusion of women and children highlights glass blowing as a family trade. To learn more, explore the exhibition catalogues and art market reports of the time. These will help you see how Ulrich shrewdly catered to the tastes of his patrons, crafting images that romanticized labor for an audience far removed from its realities.