Mold-Blown Glass from Ancient Rome

[guy]

Although glass making was know in the Ancient world centuries before the Roman Empire, glass blowing started around 40 BCE.

 

This is the famous Ennion piece from the first-century A.D.(just over 9 inches tall). It is thought to be a wine jug and has the Greek inscription ENNIWN E OIEI (Ennion made it) :

 

 

 

 

Soft drink bottles, drinking glasses and glass Christmas ornaments are part of daily modern life, but their roots can be traced to the ancient world and the legacy of Ennion, the earliest known name of a Roman glass worker. This lecture by the Museum's president and executive director, ancient glass expert Dr. Karol Wight, explores the mold-blown glass of ancient Rome, starting with the works of Ennion, the first ancient glass artisan to include his name on the glass he made.

 

The exhibition Ennion and His Legacy: Mold-Blown Glass from Ancient Rome is on view through January 4, 2016 at The Corning Museum of Glass. The exhibition explores some of the earliest known works made by blowing molten glass into molds carved with decorative and figural designs. The revolutionary technique allowed glassmakers to design glass vessels with complex decoration and figural scenes, and paved the way for glass artisans to create numerous examples of the same shape and design.

 

Here is the related video:

 

 

Here is another related video:

 

 

Interesting stuff,

 

 

guy

Edited July 19, 2015 by guy

[Viggen]

great stuff,

 

...having a toddler around it amazes me that those things survived that long