A closer look
Venetian glass was so beautiful that the local government would happily slit your throat to keep the recipe a secret. By isolating all master glassmakers on the island of Murano in the 13th century, Venice monopolized the global luxury mirror and glass trade. The artisans lived like royalty, but they were essentially high-value prisoners. If a glassmaker sneaked out of the republic to sell his trade secrets to France or England, the terrifying Council of Ten would hire bounty hunters to track him across Europe and permanently silence him.
