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 Italian goblet, dating from 1590-1600, was mould blown. A bubble of molten glass is blown into a mould, determining the shape of the object, and in some cases, the surface decoration.BR>The white lines of decoration are known as latticino, the word is derived from the Italian latte, meaning milk. The lines are threads of white glass running through the body of clear glass. |
