Altare, or Use Glassware

A History of Design for Everyday

Abstract

Over the past thousand years, the glassmaker masters from Altare, a small town in Savona’s hinterland, have created artefacts meeting even the most demanding requirements and needs of everyday life. Among these, many are articles designed to contain food. This production anticipates the modern concept of design: thanks to careful planning, the configurations most efficient in performing a specific function throughout the centuries could be identified. Then, the technique has made it possible to manufacture these only apparently simple objects. With the establishment in the middle of the 19th century of the Società Artistica Vetraria, operating until 1978, the mass-produced articles were offered on the market through sale catalogues.