The recipe for making glass has changed little for several thousands of years: sand, alkali ashes, and lime from crushed stones are melted together to give a strong, yet fragile material. This molten material can then be manipulated by the glassmaker in a number of ways.This bowl from the 1860s was made by Barnes & Co, Birmingham, using the mould blown method. This is where a bubble of molten glass is blown into a mould, which determines both the shape, and in some cases, the surface decoration. |
