Glass mirrors perfected in Venice

1278

Venetian glassmakers on Murano developed techniques for producing flat glass mirrors backed with a tin-mercury amalgam, replacing the polished metal mirrors used since antiquity. The new mirrors were clearer, lighter, and became luxury objects traded across Europe, giving Venice yet another monopoly in the Mediterranean luxury market. The Senate imposed death penalties on any glassmaker who attempted to leave Murano and share the secret abroad.