Silver filigree from Cortina d’Ampezzo

In the 18th Century Venetian goldsmiths encouraged the production of women’s jewellery in Cortina made from thin silver thread woven together. In 1874, the local Art School started a course specialising in filigree production, which led to an improved technique and to a much wider range of products. Due to a stark rise in tourism in the second half of the 19th Century, the demand for souvenirs increased. Both of these factors led to a flourishing filigree industry in Ampezzo which developed into an important economic sector. It was the detailed imitations of flowers, especially edelweiss, lily of the valley and anemone which became particularly well-known.

In the end, commercial interests overwhelmed the search for innovation and artistic training lost importance. In 1894 the Art School closed down and the creative spirit died out. Nonetheless, the Ampezzo filigree industry survived until the fall of local and international markets at the start of the First World War.