Definition - Millefiori
Millefiori glass is made by first heating a bundle of thin glass rods of varying colours until the rods fuse together. The bundle is pulled thin, cooled, anbd sliced to produce small disks with flowerlike designs. These disks are then applied to hot blown glass ware which is then reheated and blown for a further time. This produces spectacular coloured glassware. The technique was developed by the Romans and dates to the 1st century BC. Millefiori is Italian for thousand flowers. The technique is used to make paperweights and marbles. |