CARLO TOSI CARAMEA
The master of lightness in blown glass
If Murano means glass, goblet means Murano glass. Difficult if not impossible to find another object representing the centuries-old history of Murano glass, better than a goblet. There was also a specific test required to become "gottieri", the master glassmakers specialized in the goblets blowing.
With his personal history, Carlo Tosi is generally considered as the goblet "maestro", indelebly related with lightness in Murano traditional glass.
Carlo Tosi was born in 1929 in Murano Island. He started working at the age of 9 (!) in Nason’s furnace.
In 1943 he already was in the principal work team with Pustetto master glassmaker. He started also a co-operation with Alfredo Barbini.
In 1946 he had the chance to work in one of the most important furnaces in Murano and world wide, “Barovier & Toso”, with some of the best expert master glassmakers of that time such as Vittorio Toso, Decio Toso and Teto Ferro.
Only three months later his arrival in “B&T” Carlo became “maestrino” (junior master) at the age of sixteen.
At the age of 20, in 1949 Ercole Barovier offered him the position of first master glassmaker (“maestro”).
Carlo Tosi has been working in “Barovier & Toso” for 32 years; during this long experience he has had several collaborations with artists and designers such as Franz Pelzer (Salir), Livio Seguso, Ercole Barovier, with the painter Nuto Barovier and the designer Ettore Sottsass.
He has also worked with several artists, among others Umberto Mastroianni and Fulvio Bianconi (for Venini).
During his long career Carlo Tosi has had several offers from different furnaces, contending his sophisticated works, but he has always refused these offers.
He has also refused the many opportunities from overseas, in line with the old Venetian traditions of Murano masters.
In 1980 he founded the Toso Vetri d’Arte with other master glassmakers, producing sophisticated artworks for other artists or based on his own designs.
Today, even though formely retired, he often teaches and gives demostrations in various furnaces
in Murano. His artworks were exhibited in the most famous galleries, museums and institutions world wide, such as the Corning Museum of New York or the Fondazione Bevilaqua la Masa of Venice, among others.