Glassblowing

Glassblowing Technique and History

• Glassblowing is a technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe.

• Free-blowing and mold-blowing are the two major methods of glassblowing.

• Free-blowing involves the blowing of short puffs of air into a molten portion of glass called a "gather".

• Mold-blowing was an alternative glassblowing method that came after the invention of free-blowing.

• The transformation of raw materials into glass takes place at around 1,320°C; the glass emits enough heat to appear almost white hot.

• Glassblowing involves three furnaces: the furnace, the glory hole, and the lehr or annealer.

• The major tools used by a glassblower are the blowpipe, punty, bench, marver, blocks, jacks, paddles, tweezers, newspaper pads, and a variety of shears.

• There are many ways to apply patterns and color to blown glass, including rolling molten glass in powdered color or larger pieces of colored glass called "frit".

• Lampworkers manipulate glass with the use of a torch on a smaller scale.

• Glassblowing was invented by Syrian craftsmen from Sidon and Babylon between 27 BC and 14 AD.

• The invention of glassblowing coincided with the establishment of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC, which enhanced the spread and dominance of this new technology.

• The Phoenician glassworkers exploited their glassblowing techniques and set up their workshops in the western territories of the Roman Empire, first in Italy by the middle of the 1st century AD.A Brief History of Glassblowing

• Glassblowing was invented in the 1st century BC, with the earliest evidence found in present-day Switzerland, France, and Belgium.

• The Rhineland workshops in Germany were one of the most prolific glassblowing centers of the Roman period, where mold-blowing techniques were adopted and applied.

• Clay blowpipes were used before the introduction of metal blowpipes, and hollow iron rods were used in the 4th century AD.

• During the medieval period, the Franks manipulated the technique of glassblowing by creating corrugated molds and developing the claws decoration technique.

• The Byzantine glassworkers made mold-blown glass decorated with Christian and Jewish symbols in Jerusalem between the late 6th century and the middle of the 7th century AD.

• The Renaissance in Europe saw the revitalization of the glass industry in Italy, where the Venetian glassworkers used the mold-blowing technique to produce fine glassware.

• The studio glass movement began in 1962 when Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino held two workshops in Toledo, Ohio, where they experimented with melting glass in a small furnace to create blown glass art.

• Today, there are many institutions around the world that offer glassmaking resources for training and sharing equipment.

• Working with large or complex pieces requires a team of several glassworkers, encouraging collaboration among glass artists.

• Recent developments in technology have allowed for the use of glass components in high-tech applications, such as semiconductors and medical equipment.

• Glassblowing has been featured in literature, including Daphne du Maurier's historical novel The Glass-Blowers and Donna Leon's mystery novel Through a Glass, Darkly.

• The Nøstetangen Museum in Norway shows how glass was made according to ancient tradition, with the glassworks operating from 1741 to 1777.