Murrina: Mosaic Cane Glass
Mosaic Cane Glass is an ancient art form dating back to the first century B.C. Hellenistic glassmakers made flowers, animals and Greek Masks. In the 1800's Italian glassmakers Franchini, Moretti and Barovier revitalized the ancient art of mosaic cane glass. In the 1870’s the term Murrine was used to describe mosaic glass and is attributed to Barovier & Moretti. For more information see Giovanni Sarpellon's beautifully illustrated book Miniature Masterpieces Mosaic Glass 1838-1924.
Today there are many glassmakers around the world who work in the ancient tradition of mosaic cane glass, often referred to as Murrina.
Our murrina images are collected as polished coins, encased in marbles or fused into objects.
Zach Jorgenson
Zach started shaping glass at a torch in 1999. The following year he was hired at a glass studio to do furnace and cold work. Many visiting artists influenced his work during this time. Starting in 2001 he taught glassblowing classes in what would become the Sonoron Glass School. He also taught flameworking and continued exploring his own sculptural work. In 2005 he focused full time on murrine and marbles.
Zach often makes murrine in the flame of a torch, sculpting hot glass into individual mosaic components which he assembles in the flame. Occasionally he builds micro mosaics such as Dragon Bay, Black Rhino, Red Fox and Giraffe. Many of the colors we use are custom mixes.
Chelsea Bent
After graduating from the University of Arizona in 2005 with a degree in Classical Art History, Chelsea made her first murrina images: Two grayscale micro mosaics fashioned after Hellenistic marble sculptures, busts of Aphrodite and Zeus. In 2008, she made her first color image, a study of Georges Seurat's Bathers at Asnieres (1884), after which she made a series of mosaic studies of impressionists paintings. In 2010, she made her first original image, Desert Dreamscape, and for the next five years concentrated on crafting original mosaic picture canes.
Chelsea’s micro mosaics are comprised of whisker-thin threads of cold glass, or stringers, layered in a circular format. Sometimes she incorporates torch-worked components; Panda Moon is a good example of this combination. When the image is complete, Zach fuses the mosaic into a solid block of glass which is then heated in the flame of a torch and pulled out like taffy, to make mosaic cane glass.