The Techniques of Roman-Period Glassblowing combines videos, texts, and images to tell the compelling story of how glass was shaped and decorated by glassmakers from the onset of glassblowing in the first century BCE. The techniques created at that time, and in the following centuries, formed the foundation of glassmaking for thousands of years to come, and most, if not all of these techniques are still practiced by glassmakers today.
This electronic resource joins two others published by this Museum. The first, The Techniques of Renaissance Venetian Glassworking, was released in February 2016, and the second, The Techniques of Renaissance Venetian-Style Glassworking in 2019. Both have been seen and utilized by tens of thousands of individuals around the globe to gain a deeper understanding of how technically complex and beautifully crafted Venetian and Venetian-style glasses may have been shaped by artisans working hundreds of years ago.
This new electronic resource contains nearly twice as many long- and short-format videos, with 53 in total. The author, William Gudenrath, has once again elected to explore examples of a variety of shapes and techniques, chosen from the collection of The Corning Museum of Glass and elsewhere. The works range in form from hemispherical cups to tall pitchers, and in function from perfume flasks to oil lamps. Glass was used to make functional and decorative containers for a variety of purposes, and while many were undecorated and utilitarian, others had complex decorative schemes, achieved either while the glass was hot, or after annealing. Such is the beauty of this material that it lends itself to so many diverse approaches to its shaping and decoration.
Decades of observation and experience are contained within this body of work. Such work is essential, not just for artists but also for art historians and others who study glass, but often from a different perspective.
Gudenrath has studied the works from the perspective of an experienced glassmaker. Through patient trial and error, he has worked to capture the essential steps of manufacture for the selected works and documented them in video form. Decades of observation and experience are contained within this body of work. Such work is essential, not just for artists but also for art historians and others who study glass, but often from different perspectives. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work as an art historian has been the opportunity to collaborate with the author on the study of glass objects. Almost always, my first question is, how was this made? Examining an object together has often led to observances we each might have missed had we looked at a piece of glass by ourselves; we always learn much from each other.
In addition to the author, I would like to thank the dedicated staff from a number of departments at the Corning Museum of Glass – including Photography, The Studio, Audiovisual, and Digital Media — who contributed to this work. For all of us, this is a labor of love and pride, one in which we all take great satisfaction. Our mission is to inspire people to see glass in a new light, and this resource, which combines video and text to help explain the myriad ways Roman glassmakers shaped their vessels, meets that mission goal and more.
Karol B. Wight
President and Executive Director
The Corning Museum of Glass