Cesare Toffolo

Keeping glass in the family

• Cesare's motto is: always demand the best, especially from yourself
• If an object isn’t perfect, he throws it away
• He takes inspiration from old paintings

Cesare Toffolo is a glassmaker working in Murano, a small island near Venice with a very long tradition of glassmaking. He taught for many years at art schools all over the world, including Japan, the United States and France, before returning to colourful Murano. Though very inspired by tradition (one of the lines he produces is a reproduction of objects taken from a 16th century painting), he also likes to work with modern designers and is open to new trends. When he sells his creations to a customer, he’s both happy and sad: "It’s hard to part with them!" he says.

Interview

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Where did you train?

I learned the technique from my father Florino, with whom I began an apprenticeship when I was 14 years old. When I was 17, he died. Since then, I have continued alone. Our family tradition is to work with a furnace, but my father had specialised in lampworking.

When did you first decide to take up this craft?

I’ve played with glass since I was a child. It was normal, because my father had the workshop under our house. I remember there was always a lot of life in the workshop and that remains so now; it's been the same atmosphere for centuries, just as the work itself has remained almost unchanged

How is your craft linked to Murano?

Our traditional line of work is inspired by ancient Venice, to which we add our own touch. Above all, we are inspired by the Veronese type of glasswork, keeping faith with the original present in the picture L’Annunciation (1558) by Paolo Veronese, kept at the Academy of Venice.

Do you train apprentices?

In the past I have, before I dedicated myself to my two children, Emanuel and Elia; they went to the artistic high school and then they came to me. I didn’t push them into this profession, I just told them 'you must love this work, otherwise it is just a big sacrifice and you won't get results'.

Cesare Toffolo is a master artisan: he began his career in 1975 and he started teaching in 1991

Works

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©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

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