The Fratelli Toso is one of the oldest glassworks in Murano. Founded in 1854 by the six Toso brothers of the “Cangioro” branch, the company has spanned more than a century of Venetian glass history, contributing significantly to its artistic and technical evolution.

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From the very beginning, murrina became central to the furnace’s production: one of the oldest and most complex techniques of the Murano tradition, continuously reinterpreted through formal and chromatic experimentation. Throughout the twentieth century, Fratelli Toso developed a distinctive visual language capable of combining tradition, research and innovation.

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Over the years, the glassfactory also collaborated with artists and designers outside the family, including Hans Stoltenberg Lerche, Umberto Bellotto, Guido Cadorin and Vittorio Zecchin. At the same time, several generations of the Toso family contributed directly to the artistic development of the furnace: Ermanno Toso led the artistic direction between the 1940s and 1960s, later joined by his sons Renato and Giusto Toso, authors of important projects related to design and lighting. During the 1970s and 1980s, Rosanna Toso became the last artistic director of the glassworks and the only woman in the family to hold a managerial role within the company.

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Today, Fratelli Toso is no longer an active production furnace. The gallery preserves and presents an important collection of historical glassworks created between the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, originating from the family collection.

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The works are identified, documented and authenticated through extensive research conducted on the company’s complete historical archive — including original drawings, catalogues, photographs, documents and period materials — enriched by memories and testimonies passed down within the family.

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The gallery can be visited by appointment.
Book a private visit.

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To further explore the history and research behind Fratelli Toso, catalogues and dedicated publications are available for consultation and purchase.