Flora ad infinitum

Bilingual edition German / Italian

Glimmering glass beads can be threaded onto thin wire and shaped into flowers - a historical handcraft based in Venice and its famous Murano glass. In this lavishly illustrated book, Georg Ragnar Levi tells the fascinating story of how beaded flowers came to be loved and despised - and at one point in history even banned. So-called French beaded flowers were created in homes, convents, prisons, and workshops, and were used for ornamental and symbolic purposes at baptisms, weddings, and funerals.

The author guides us through the history, techniques, materials, and personal stories behind the craft, showing how the demand for wreaths and bouquets in the early 1900s became the bread and butter of many families in Europe and made the glassworks of Murano and Bohemia prosper.