Table Glass Vessel Decoration

Vessel Decoration

There are four primary types of decoration used on table glass:  hot glass methods, which involve a decorative element molded or created in molten glass, abrasive methods that include removal of glass through manual means, such as cutting or engraving, chemical methods like acid etching and adhesive methods, which involve adding a decorative element to the surface of the glass through painting or spraying.

Hot Glass Techniques

Molding glass is one of the primary hot glass decorative methods.  Molding can be accomplished with a number of methods, primarily by blowing, or pressing molten glass into a mold (click here to see illustated diagram).  Semi-automatic machine blown table glass production began in 1897 for stemware and tumblers, while fully automated production began in the 1920s (Jones 2000:155).

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