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The Colle's tradition
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THE BEGING THE CRYSTAL PRODUCTION IN COLLE DI
VAL D'ELSA
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 Glass
has been produced in this Tuscan town since the XIVth century as documented
in the register of local taxes, instituted with the solemn reforms of
13th January and 12th March, 1406.
The 52nd section deals with the taxes to be levied on furnaces for the
production of tumblers and other glass containers. The sections describes
how the products subject to taxation should be numbered and prescribes
that for each tray of glasses or glass containers the sum of 2 soldi
must be paid. The producers of glasses who owned furnaces in Colle and
the Corte, licensed by the Consiglio della Terra, were to pay a tax
of 15 lire per year for any kind of glass object.
Right from the beginning, the activity reached such a level of perfection
that its fame quickly spread far and wide. In Florence, such was the
aggressive industrial competition from other states towards the end
of the XVIth century, that the Grand Duke issued an order on 2nd April
1577, aimed at banning foreign glass from the Florentine State. Given
that in Florence, at that time, there were no glassworks that produced
tumblers and other containers, it appears evident that the order was
made to protect the glassworks of Colle.
The modern glass-making industry, however, began at Colle much later,
thanks to the initiative of a few French and German businessmen, later
continued by our fellow citizens.
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LA
PRIMA INDUSTRIA VETRARIA A COLLE': LA VETRERIA SCHMIDT
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The gold season of the Colligian glass industry started at the beginning
of XIX century.
In 1820 it was opened a furnace located in the premises/buildings of
the convent, which had been suppressed by Agostinians.
The founder of the "Fabbrica di Cristallerie e Vetrerie" was
the glass-worker Francesco Mathis, financially helped by the Pisan industrialist
Leucci and by the banker Modigliani.
Later on, in 1834, the glass-industry was taken over by the Bohemian
Govan Battista Schmidt, who managed the industry until 1889, the year
of his death.
Schemi minded the management and by degrees he put in the traditional
Tuscan glasswork procedures of processing and engraving of crystal of
Nordic origin, especially Bohemian.
Since then the activity flourished and the improvement of the quality
of production was entrusted to the "master" Bonheur, one of
the French people who were concerned with the production of crystal.
Schmidt provided then the factory with an ARROTERIA (arrotare = sharpen)-
in charge of grinding glasses -, whose machinery was moved by the water
force of the canal, as the processing was set in the old "Mulino
di fuori" in Maremmana street.
Glass workers, employed in the factory, amounted to about 100 but in
1870 they rose to 170. They supplied an annual production of about 80.000
pieces, which were then sold all over Italy.
In 1841 in Florence, on the occasion of the Public Exhibition of Tuscan
Arts and Manufactures, Schmidt's glass factory was awarded a prize for
the 'high degree of perfection in the art of crystal making/production'.
Among the products which were shown at the exhibition, a cylindrical
pot "arrotondato in pieno"("wheel engraved") is
especially worthy of attention.
Lamps with external engravings, according to Bohemian techniques and
taste are worthy of attention as well. Schmidt had frequent contacts
with the Crystal factory of Baccarat and, as recent researches have
shown, Schmidt’s Catalogue was closely linked to the Baccarat’s
Catalogue of 1830.
These influences and inspirations from the graphic and pictorial Bohemian
and German index/inventory toward the art of engraving glass, have resounded
for a long time in the Colligian production.
In 1885 it gained/received recognition/praises at Universal Exhibitions.
One of the most famous exhibition is the Paris one, where the Colligian
art of engraving glass was awarded the gold medal.
At Schmidt’s death the “Fabbrica di Cristallerie e Vetrerie”
went through a period of deep crisis due, on the one side, to problems
concerning hereditary succession; on the other side to the fact that
the urban economy was penalised by the lack of an autonomous rail/train
call/port.
It was also forced to use the rail station of Poggibonsi which increased
consequently productive expenses.
Both the fulfilment of the railway network in 1885 and the purchase
of Schmidt’s factory, in 1889, by Cavalier Alfonso Nardi from Montelupo
– defined a “worthy industrialist”, helped the entire
Colligian glass activity to go out of its crisis.
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THE BIRTH OF MODESTO
BOSCHI’S GLASS-WORKS
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In 1911 “Fabbrica di Cristallerie e Vetrerie” of the Cavalier
Nardi ceased the activity, which was surveyed by a society that named
it “Elsana”.
This happened just during the deep crisis occurred in the productive
field of white glass and crystal.
Meanwhile, since the end of the nineteenth century in Colle, a second
glass factory called: “La Fabbrichina” started to operate
and it enjoyed a period of great prosperity under the firm Filippo Lepri
& C. That period of prosperity was followed by another violent crisis,
which led to the shutdown of the factory.
Later on the industrialist Modesto Boschi gathered all the furnaces
of Colle in a unique glass factory: the “Elsana”, ex Schmidt
and the “Fabbrichina” and he gave life to the “Vetrerie
Operale Riunite Modesto Boschi & C.”.
30 years later it failed and the Colligian glass industry was finally
settled. Boschi imposed the white glass as well as the grind and engraved
crystal in the local ARROTERIE of the national market. The production
was spread in two establishments: the main seat in Saint Agostino and
the “Fabbrichina” in Masson street.
It has been a great industry for 30 years, which went so far as to employ
up to 700 workers.
Inside the industry, the arroteria, where
glass was brushed, employed engravers like Nello Cigni and Mario Selvi
who marked the history of engraving art in Colle.
In 1918, in Florence, Boschi with other shareholders founded the Tuscany
Society Glass Enterprises (STIV, Società Toscana Imprese Vetraie)
that aimed to increase the production field of white glass and to widen
the outlets of the market.
In 1930 Boschi’s production also included scientific glass works
(glasses for industry and chemistry) which represented the most modern
branch of the industry involved in the field of white glass.
Until 1914 Italy had been supplied of glasses to chemical use and for
the industry by/from Germany, and in particular from/by the city of
Jena, which had a world wide leadership in that field of production.
The war caused the stopping of the import of this kind of products and
the Italian industry was hence forced to undertake the manufacture of
scientific glass work in order to meet the great and urging necessities
of the moment.
Modesto Boschi ran the glass work until his death (he died before the
beginning of the Second World War). Afterwards the management and the
organisation moved to one of his cousins’ hands.
At the eve of the Second World War 520 people found job/were employed
in the establishment of Colle and used to produce hundreds of thousands
of pieces, which were grinded by numerous craftsmen; wages wavered between
8 and 50 thousand liras a day, depending on category and sex.
Although it still kept the name of glass work “Modesto Boschi”,
after the post-war period, the complex was taken/surveyed by a new joint-stock
company, which developed so much as to employ 625 hands in 1950.
Unfortunately, unupdated criteria of innovation with the most advanced
techniques, not only made old systems of management unfit for its time,
but it also increased the uneasiness of the most skilled workers (“maestranze”)
And a split between the workers and the management of the industry started
the deepest crisis.
For years, after endless troubles, glass workers and grinders earned
no salaries and gradually they started to be fired.
These dismissals represented a great blow for the whole urban economical
system.
In 1951 the dismantling of the factory started with the dismissal of
138 employees and at the beginning of 1956, once a brief phase of controlled
administration had finished, the firm was finally
closed by filling in a contract with all its creditors.
The recollection of Boschi’s factory is still dear to all the Colligian
people. It was an industry equipped with highly skilled workers, who
remained unemployed when the factory was closed.
Hundreds of families fell into poverty and many dismissed glass workers
started to look for a job abroad.
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COLLE VAL D’ELSA
BECOMES THE BOHEMIA OF ITALY
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 After
Boschi’s shut-down, many Colligian glass workers, after few years
of experience in European glass works, decided to create small factories
by themselves. For instance: V.I.T.A.C., V.A.V., S.A.L.C., K.R.I.S.C.A,
V.I.L.C.A., C.A.L.B. (currently C.A.L.P.).
Another group of factories joined/gathered in a co-operative trying
to keep what it remained of Boschi’s alive. In this way the Colligian
tradition gradually started to take force again.
In general it may be said that in that period more entrepreneurial mentality
started to take form from the managerial point of view.
It was was probably directed/counselled by the pushes resulted from
the "economical boom" occurred in that time.
New entrepreneurs were usually master-glass-makers who were in particular
concerned with the defence of their professional nature and, because
of lack of capitals to create a factory; they often joined local entrepreneurs.
In Colle many handicraft laboratories were opened and, as a consequence,
a characteristic process of the productive web formation of this area,
was set up. Here several realities live together. They include big,
medium and small industries, as well as individual artisans.
Many automatical, half-automatical and artisan production live together.
Since 1963 Colle Val d'Elsa's production was centralized on glass products,
whose glass was either of higher quality, crystal or sonorous glass,
but not yet crystal.
In 1963 in the establishment which later became the C.A.L.P.'s first
unit, few years before the EEC law, it produced a transparent glass
with an index of refraction of 1,545, an index of density of 2,90 (specific
weight) and containing a percentage of lead oxide of 24%, which today
may be defined crystal.
So far in Italy crystal production had been of no account and of inferior
quality compared to the foreign product. That's why it couldn't create
its own market.
Nowadays Italian production has achieved/attained great regard and quality.
After 50's it was indeed pushed by the economical recovery.
The area of Colle Val d'Elsa, currently called the Bohemia of Italy,
has been defined as a real "area"of non- flat crystal, and
it has achieved a production of 95% of crystal, of which is nowadays
produced in Italy. 55% of the 95% is intended for export, especially
toward Great Britain, Germany andUnited States and the area of Colle
also provides 15% of world production, becoming one of the most productive
poles, not only according to European standards, but also on a worldwide
scale.
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CURRENT
COLLIGIAN PRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE
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At present, besides Vilca, 3 other crystal factories
have their centre in Colle Val d'Elsa. The biggest/largest one is indeed
C.A.L.P., whose 720 employees produce 60 millions pieces a year and
create a turnover (fatturato) of 95 millions Euros, split up into its
4 trades: RCR, Primavera di Cristallo, Da Vinci and Capri Crystal, which
are exported world-wide.
While C.A.L.P.'s production is mostly automatized, the other 3 crystal
factories supporting the Union create their products both manually and
half-manually.
The Arnolfo di Cambio's factory was founded in 1963, it has currently
31 workers and a turnover of 4,15 millions Euros.
The trademark may be ‘Di Cambio’ but during transactions of
sale it has adopted the name ’Compagnia Italiana del Cristallo’
while the productive division carries the name ‘Duccio di Siena’.
"Colle Cristallerie" started its activity in 1960 under the
name of Kristall Krisla and until 1992 it was part of the Bormioli group,
which has made the specialisation of production easier.
32 employees currently work there, while other 14 employees carry on
correlated jobs, which create a turnover of 7,25 millions Euros.
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