A Thousand Glass Flowers by Evan Turk

A Thousand Glass Flowers - Marietta Barovier and the invention of the Rosetta Bead.

"Her father ... as a true maestro, a master of the glass. He performed miracles with it, turning the molten sand into elegant forms as clear as water, as white as milk, or as richly coloured as precious stones."

A Thousand Glass Flowers is a perfect book to share with your library groups this year - The International Year of Glass.

Publisher blurb: Marietta and her family lived on the island of Murano, near Venice, as all glassmakers did in the early Renaissance. Her father, Angelo Barovier, was a true maestro, a master of glass. Marietta longed to create gorgeous glass too, but glass was men’s work. One day her father showed her how to shape the scalding-hot material into a work of art, and Marietta was mesmerized. Her skills grew and grew. Marietta worked until she created her own unique glass bead: the rosetta. Small but precious, the beautiful beads grew popular around the world and became as valuable as gold. The young girl who was once told she could not create art was now the woman who would leave her mark on glasswork for centuries to come.

You can see some pages inside this book at Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast. And here is a wonderful, generous and detailed interview with Evan Turk by Elizabeth Bird at the School Library Journal. 

In this book you will read about glass making in 1496 alongside the expectations levelled at girls and women. Marietta is such a wonderful role model for young girls who want to pursue their own passion. There is an extensive author's note at the back of this book where you can read more about glass making, Marietta, her family and the rosetta beads. These are also called millefiori which means 'a thousand flowers'.  The beads are made from segments cut from long ropes of layered glass. This technique was first used in Egypt thousands of years ago. 

"Marietta Barovier grew up in a world that did not typically allow women to own businesses, or reward women who worked instead of married." 

Clearly a labour of love, this ethereal and striking selection incorporates imagination, art, creativity, and women’s history in a story that emphasises dedication, resilience, and innovation.  An enchanting tale of a 15th-century artist that emphasises attributes and skills we need today. Kirkus Star review

A Thousand Glass Flowers is an intimate and beautiful story of an artist’s relationship with her father and what blossoms when she’s given the ability to grow into her talent. I’m happy that Marietta Barovier’s story fell into the talented hands of Evan Turk. I’m also very grateful to know Barovier's name, work, and legacy — and I hope that children will enjoy her story as much as I did. Horn Book