In 1924, five young Italians founded the Studio Ars et Labor Industrie Riunite (S.A.L.I.R.) with the aim of modernising the ancient art of glass-decorating: Giuseppe D'Alpaos, Decio Toso, Guglielmo Barbini, Dino Martens, and Gino Francesconi. In 1928, the emergence of Franz Pelzel, a Bohemian glass engraver, and Guido Balsamo Stella, an all-round artist, marked the start of the production for which S.A.L.I.R. is most remembered today: contemporary glass-engraving. After Balsamo Stella's departure in 1932, Franz Pelzel took the lead role of designer, occasionally also executing designs by other reputed artists. Based on the factory's archives, Marc Heiremans illustrates the artistic evolution of S.A.L.I.R. through numerous drawings and period photographs. As well as being a catalogue raisonne, it is also an in-depth study shedding light on paramount developments in Murano's glass-making history.
