The MAISON
THE ORIGINS
Anita Bersaglia was born in 1871 in Murano. A small woman with a strong character, courageous and progressive for her time, she loved to undertake actions to protect the weakest during the war and to teach all her grandchildren, girls or boys, everything that could make them independent: carpentry, mechanics and plumbing, as well as the art of sewing and cooking.
Very quickly she learned the two historic arts of the Lagoon: Merletto de Burano (lace) and Conteria (small glass beads used in embroidery, trimmings, jewelry, etc.) which she combined with art.
A grandmother who raised her grandchildren in a home where love, respect, empathy and "doing together" were an integral part of their daily lives, cultivating the passions and predispositions of each one despite the difficult historical period, but she was also a skilled seamstress and a refined craftswoman, a woman who loved elegance and the arts, who adored embroidered shawls and glass beads that she used to create embroideries, flowers and jewelry.
SAVOIR-FAIRE AND CREATIVITY
Anita contributed her craftsmanship to numerous presentations of Italian savoir-faire and creativity around the world, such as the Universal Exhibition in Chicago, USA, in 1934.
A COMMON PASSION
Adelina Pilla was born in Venice in 1937 in the Castello district and from a young age lived surrounded by fabrics hand-embroidered by her grandmother Anita and her precious Venetian glass beads.
For little Adelina, these mysterious worlds of sparkling and colored glass were incredible works where the imagination could wander without boundaries.
At a very young age, she was introduced to the art of glass beads, discovered the flame and the arts linked to it and began to create tiny decorated beads while her fingers seemed to dance among the spirals of the flame that she seemed to caress.
RENATA
In 1965 Adelina gave birth to Renata. Very quickly little Renata discovered the environment of the traditional art of lampwork beads, an art of which she learned the basics and secrets from her mother, just as her mother had absorbed the passion for crafts from her maternal grandmother who had raised her.
Renata grew up among the “vette” and the “cane” in colored glass that the expert hands of her mother Adelina Pilla, in her small kitchen laboratory, transformed into tiny works of art.
• BELLEZZA, ELEGANZA, UNICITÀ •
SAVOIR-FAIRE PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
She sees her mother again in the kitchen, concentrating on her work: the many colors on the table of the little works, the pearl flowers, the pearl necklaces and the trays full of pearls created during the day; the sound, almost background music, of the flame while the glass melts on the copper rods, the ticking of the work tools while her hands draw and create... and the barley scent of those sweets that mamma Adelina prepared on Sundays just by spreading them on the lid of her little stove.
The art of making glass beads was the daily companion of Adelina, who worked for almost 50 years for the largest and most important production companies in Murano and Venice, accompanying her daughter Renata from her first steps until she herself became a master pearl maker.
TEAM
MU is part of the Swiss ALCO group founded in 1823, specializing in Fine Watchmaking and Jewelry, as well as in Medtech.
ALCO Group has contributed for over 200 years to the design and production of the most beautiful watches and jewelry in the world.
“ Creator of emotions for Fine Watchmaking and Jewelry „
George L. Rauccio
VisioNARY
Founder and CEO of MU, George L. Rauccio is the driver of the company and Chairman of ALCO Group
Renata Ferrari
HOMO FABER
Renata Ferrari is a master craftswoman: she began her career in 1991 and started teaching in 2004.
HISTORY
Anita Bersaglia
Birth in Murano of Anita Bersaglia
Conteria
Anita Bersaglia creates her
first works in Conteria
Adelina Pilla
Birth of Adelina Pilla,
granddaughter of Anita Bersaglia
INITIATION
Adelina Pilla is introduced to the art of glass
by her grandmother Anita
Renata Ferrari
Birth of Renata Ferrari, daughter of Adelina Pilla.
VENETIAN PEARLS
Renata Ferrari presents her first pearls
Vetro Artistico
Renata Ferrari actively contributes to the creation of the Vetro Artistico di Murano® guarantee seal in collaboration with Consorzio Promovetro and Regione Veneto, Italy
Musée du Louvre
Temporary exhibition at the Louvre Museum, Paris
Corning Museum of Glass
Exhibition at the Corning Museum of Glass, New York, USA
HAUTE COUTURE
First creative shift in the direction of contemporary design through the collaboration with Atelier Raffaella Curiel for the Summer 2002 Haute Couture collection
Ukai MUSEUM Tokyo
Creation of jewelry composed of old glass beads and reproductions of 19th and 20th century decorations for the private collection of the Ukai Museum in Tokyo. Collection which was housed in the following years in the most prestigious museums in Japan.
ALCO SWITZERLAND
Beginning of the collaboration between Renata Ferrari and Murano Glass Technology, ALCO Switzerland Group for the creation and production of components for Haute Horlogerie, Jewelry, Fashion and Design
Murano
Creation and registration of the Murano® brand
by ALCO Group
Dolce & Gabbana
Creation of unique pieces in antique glass for the Dolce & Gabbana private collection
HAUTE HORLOGERIE
Creation of the first watch dial
certified Vetro Artistico di Murano®
UNESCO
The art of glass beads is classified as intangible heritage by UNESCO
Millefiori
Creation and registration of the Millefiori® trademark
by ALCO Group
Homo Faber
Renata Ferrari is welcomed in the Homo Faber Guide
MU
MU® trademark registration
by ALCO Group
Venice Glass Week
Participation in the Venice Glass Week in collaboration with the écal (Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne) and the Fondazione del Albero d’Oro under the artistic direction of Ini Archibong at the Palazzo Vendramin Grimani
ALCO Group
Renata Ferrari joins the ALCO Group
JOAILLERIE
Launch of the MU collection
