The term millefiori (“thousand flowers”) describes modern Italian imitations of ancient Roman mosaic glass. Multicolored glass rods, known as canes, are cut into slices, with the design revealed in the cross section. These are fused together to form the bowl and create the delicate pattern seen here.
Credit: Gift of James Jackson Jarves, 1881
c. 1880
Glass
8.3 x 12.7cm
81.8.212
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection