Glass is one of the greatest luxuries in late Medieval and Renaissance homes, but if you’re going to invest in this wonder-material for drinking vessels, serving ware or containers, why settle for the plain, clear variety? The best glassware comes enameled, colored, gilt and sculpted. Today, let’s take a look at one fun method of sculpting glass: prunted glass!
Prunts are “small blob[s] of glass fused to another pieces of glass” for decoration and sometimes to provide the user a more firm grip on the vessel (Wikipedia). To produce prunts, a separate piece of molten glass is applied to the vessel after it has been blown and shaped. The prunt is then shaped or molded into the desired decoration. Prunts can range from semi-irregular spiked globs to perfect, small dots that form raspberry clusters or have even molded into shapes such as masks. Watch an artisan produce a beaker with the spiked prunts.
Without a doubt, prunts can be used to produce an endless array of decorations, from the common beakers with spiked prunts,
to a bowl with masks (on the sides) and raspberry cluster (center front) prunts,
to a bit of whimsy in a cup in the shape of a boot.
Want a piece of your own? Try one of these shops (no affiliation):
- Historic Enterprises (period replicas)
- Ann Marie
- Custom Made
For additional examples of extant prunted glass, check out this board on Margaret Roe Designs’ Pintrest Page. And don’t forget to let us know in the comments what other Design & Decorative Arts items you’d like to see featured.