The Glassmaker

Lauro Rosso is the mother of Orsola, Marco, and Giacomo. For most of the novel, she functions as the Rosso family matriarch. Laura is stubborn and resilient; she faces a tragedy when her husband dies unexpectedly while she is pregnant. Laura shrewdly oversees Marco’s transition to the head of the workshop. Because she is psychologically astute, she is skilled at manipulating people to achieve the ends she believes to be best. For example, she lies to Marco, telling him that she plans to remarry, and this claim spurs her son to take responsibility for the shop.

Laura can be fiercely loyal and protective toward the people she loves. For example, when her pregnant daughter-in-law is condemned to go to an island designated for plague victims, Laura insists on accompanying her, risking her own life in the process. Because of her courage, her grandson, Raffaele, is born alive. Laura has a special bond with Raffaele for the rest of her life. However, because Laura is so loyal and protective, she also expects unflinching loyalty from others and can feel extremely betrayed if her family members choose to pursue individualistic interests rather than acting for the collective good of the Rosso family. When Orsola initially objects to marrying Stefano, Laura accuses her daughter of being selfish and unwilling to make appropriate sacrifices. Later, Laura is crushed when Raffaele chooses to move away from Murano and marry a woman who does not come from a glassmaking family. Ultimately, Laura stands as an emblem of the enduring power of family love, having shepherded her children and the family business through centuries of tumultuous change.

Marco is Orsola’s eldest brother. When their father dies unexpectedly, he becomes the leader of the Rosso family workshop at a young age. He manages the workshop for the rest of the novel, making key decisions about how the business will evolve, although he is often influenced by others in the family. Marco can be brash, emotional, and impulsive; he repeatedly endangers the family business by becoming emotionally attached to his aspirations and desires rather than making logical business decisions. However, he does have a certain amount of creative skill, but he becomes frustrated when he realizes that his preferred wares are impractical and therefore more difficult to sell. Later, Marco also dislikes the idea of shifting the business to focus on making seed beads. He is often resistant to change and likes to believe that he is always in control, but he can be easily swayed, especially by women. Marco’s mother and his second wife, Monica, are both very good at assuaging Marco’s ego to persuade him to implement decisions that benefit the business and the family. Marco is also able to accept Orsola’s bead making business once he is persuaded that her endeavors are no threat to his position. Marco does not significantly change or grow, but he remains a solid and enduring presence throughout the novel.

Monica is Marco’s second wife and the mother of some of his children (Andrea and Francesca). She also has one daughter, Rosella, from a previous marriage. Monica is the daughter of a fisherman and does not have any ties to glassmaking; she begins working for the Rosso family as a wetnurse after the death of Marco’s first wife. Monica is brash, confident, and savvy; she is not embarrassed to begin a sexual relationship with Marco even before they are married, and she is good at using sexual favors to convince her husband to conform to her wishes. With her pragmatic mindset, she advises Orsola on how to avoid unwanted pregnancy, implicitly endorsing a woman’s right to control her own body and sexuality. She also respects Orsola for running her own business and developing financial autonomy. At one point, Monica pointedly tells Orsola that she wants her daughter, Rosella, to learn to make beads so that Rosella can also have more independence. While Monica can be outspoken and willful, she makes a strong contribution to the well-being of the Rosso family.

As Orsola’s love interest, Antonio is an important secondary character. He is the son of a Venetian fisherman but becomes intrigued by the idea of glassmaking in Murano and manages to persuade Marco to take him on as an apprentice. Antonio is creative, hard-working, and bold, and at a time when virtually everyone remains within their family trade, he dreams of choosing his career based on what he enjoys. However, Antonio can also be proud and uncompromising. For example, when it becomes clear that Marco will always favor individuals with a legacy of glassmaking (like Stefano), Antonio refuses to be relegated to a low-ranking position in the Rosso family business. Instead, he decides to leave Venice, even though it is illegal for him to do so. Antonio loves Orsola very much, but he is determined to pursue his dreams even at the expense of their relationship, so she gives up her relationship with him and remains with the Rosso family. Antonio eventually makes good on his dream of becoming a successful glassmaker in Prague, and for the rest of his life, he faithfully sends glass dolphins to Orsola so that she knows he has never forgotten her. He even manages to have his descendants continue this tradition long after he is gone. Antonio also establishes a tradition for his female descendants to have the middle name Ursula, ensuring that the connection between his beloved and his family continues for generations.

Klingenberg is a merchant of German descent who lives and works in Venice; he is the major buyer of glass products from the Rosso family workshop. As a shrewd and practical businessman, he successfully navigates centuries of change and does not allow biases or tradition to cloud his judgment or prevent him from making good business decisions. For example, he is happy to buy Orsola’s beads even though she is a woman, simply because he knows that the beads will sell. 

However, Klingenberg sometimes abandons all ethical considerations because of his commitment to commerce and trade. He enslaves a Black man from Ghana, Domenego, and has no misgivings about this; he also openly tells Orsola that he participates in trade networks that also engage in the enslavement and trade of human beings. Thus, although Klingenberg can sometimes show kindness and compassion, he can also be very detached from the realities of human suffering. He also shows a certain amount of naiveté when he asks Orsola to make an elaborate glass necklace for the Empress Josephine as part of a doomed plan to obliquely persuade Napoleon to protect Venice. This plan fails, and Venice falls under Austrian power. Eventually, Klingenberg leaves Venice to return to Germany. This decision reveals that he is adaptable enough to respond to the changes in the broader world. While many other characters find it unthinkable even to move from Murano to Venice, Klingenberg moves much more fluidly from place to place and adapts easily to different cultures.