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The present study focuses on the technologies used by the Società Artistico Vetraria from 1940 to 1957. It was a difficult period throughout which World War II and , in 1943, a civil war were fought. The time that ensued was a period of great inflation, fierce competition from foreign countries and industrial actions. New fully automated manufacturing procedures had already being adopted everywhere else and Altare was lagging behind. In fact, Altare glassmakers had carried on blowing glass by hand thus ensuring high quality pieces of excessively high prices. Before the World War, Altare glass industry had enjoyed a happy moment thanks to their table pieces, as well as articles for the table, chemistry labs, hospitals, factory, art glass. The manufacturing of items for both national and foreign laboratories had been a staple activity. Extra pure raw materials were imported from abroad. A sailing ship ready in the harbour of Savona, would be used to export Altare glass to other ports in the Mediterranean Sea.
Between World War I and II, Italy, thanks to the advancements in the production of steel, cars, chemicals, electricity had acquired some world-wide financial and economic importance. The increase in production had taken place mostly in the area commonly referred to as the Industrial Triangle of Milan-Genoa-Turin. Small industry of Altare, which during the Great War of 1915-1918[.1] had seen many of its men participate in the fight, greatly benefited by the victory thanks to the general economic growth which ensued. A period which was not to last very long. The crisis which hit United States Italy 1933, in order to balance the budget, the management advised a 15% pay reduction for the members of the Società Artistico Vetraria – in line with what was customary in a recession – thus not touching the salaries of workers. In [.2] December of the same year, they authorised the sale of the thriving Florence branch where many excellent glassmakers worked. S.A.V. had bought it in 1913 thanks to the profits of the society and the contributions of some private families of Altare glassmakers.
The Società Artistico Vetraria Anonima Cooperativa was born in December 1856, following a business agreement among 16 families of glassmakers of Altare: Bormioli, Bordoni, Brondi, Saroldi, Massari, Lodi, Buzzone, Varaldo, Somaglia, Racchetti, Grenni, Marini, Mirenghi, Bertoluzzi, Negri, Biancardi. Some old families, i.e. Perotto, Castellano , Pertica, Ponta, Da Leona, Ferro, Montano, Veirerio, Sappa, Pisano, Dagna, Da Costa, did not partecipate because they had remained in the country of immigration.
The history of such families dates back to the low Middle Ages. The process of immigration into Altare started towards the end of the XIII Century and the beginning of the XIV Century, following in the steps of an activity which had been created by Benedictine monks and other experts from the North of France. They had been drawn here by the luscious wooded land – especially oaks - surrounding the town and its proximity to the port of Savona Italy together, with other glassmakers, in France , Belgium , the Netherlands , Britain and, in the XIX Century, Latin America .
Altare’ s Società Artistico Vetraria was regulated by a Statute which, since its foundation in 1856, underwent several changes, some of which took place almost immediately. In 1940, it was managed by a Procuratore Amministrativo and a Procuratore Tecnico - an Administrative Director and a Technical Director -. Other managerial bodies were: a Members’ Board, whose President was a glassmaker and was in office for three years, and a Board of Directors formed by glassmakers also in office for three years. Other members were in charge of production lines and carried out administrative tasks. Many of the workers who were not members would participate in the blowing and working of glass together with the glassmakers as black smiths, carpenters, casters, electricians, mechanics, warehousemen, etc. A Procuratore Tecnico was in charge of what went into making glass, in charge of designing, furnace maintenance, work management, trade union relations.
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