Cane/Murrine: Overview

Cane

A thin, monochrome rod, or a composite rod consisting of groups of rods of different colors, which are bundled together and fused to form a polychrome design that is visible when seen in cross section (Glass Dictionary).

Canes are made by stretching a compact mass of hot glass, sometimes to great length (twenty meters or more). The glass being pulled can be simply a large "gather" of one color, but more commonly there is a core of colored glass thickly covered with clear glass. More complicated designs can be created by attaching previously made canes to the outside of contrasting soft glass then twisting the tools as the cane is pulled (see video "Cane Making.")

For very complex patterns, a large bundle of canes that has been carefully assembled can be fused, and then pulled long. Here, no matter how long the bundle is pulled and how small its resulting diameter, the pattern is retained perfectly.

All canes fall into one of two basic categories:

1. Canes that were made to be viewed from the side, for example canes with a twisted lateral pattern.
2. Canes that were made to be viewed in cross-section, for example millefiore canes. The term millefiore means "1,000 flowers" and is a type of murrine often used in paperweights.

Murrine

Murrine are slices of cane. Murrina is the singular form of the word, but you will also see murrine spelled "murrini" in publications and online.

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