2020 Essays

Glassworking in Ms. Fr. 640

Donefer-Hickie, Ana Matisse

The entry “For cages” on fol. 6v describes a specialized glassworking process, the manipulation of glass canes for lampworking and beadmaking. Third person description suggests that the author-practitioner observed glassworkers lengthening hollow canes, and his familiarity with particular tools, materials, and processes used in lampworking and beadmaking support this hypothesis. While functional cages for keeping animals are discussed elsewhere in the manuscript, “For cages” is situated among other entries concerning the embellishment of readymade objects and suggests the author-practitioner’s interest in applying the decorative techniques of lampworkers. My reconstruction suggests ways to fuse and bend wire and glass that could be learned by observation or developed experimentally by someone without extensive training. The author-practitioner’s attention to various glassworking industries and their specialized products in Ms. Fr. 640 suggests that he used technical knowledge gathered from encounters with other artisans to inform and augment his own wide-ranging artisanal activities.