Pâte de Verre – Art and Design term

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Blue bowl Francois-Émile Deecorchement 925-26
Blue bowl Francois-Émile Deecorchement 925-26

Pâte de Verre (French, “glass paste”) is a material produced by grinding glass into a fine powder, adding a binder to create a paste, and adding a fluxing medium to facilitate melting. The paste is brushed or tamped into a mould, dried, and fused by firing. After annealing, the object is removed from the mould and finished.

It first appeared in Egypt around 1570 BC. Sculptor Henri Cros reintroduced the process for large relief sculptures. The technique was further refined into vessels by Albert-Louis Dammouse in 1898 and by Francois-Émile Deecorchement in 1900.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

The House of Glass – Glass Terminology & Facts. https://www.thehouseofglassinc.com/dictionary.htm

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