A glassblower is a craftsman who shapes molten glass by inflating it through a long hollow iron blowpipe, then forming it with tools, moulds and gravity while keeping it hot at the furnace. Glassblowing is one of the oldest skilled crafts, and traditional workshops depend on teams working closely together around a master known in England as the gaffer.
Glassblowing was developed in the Roman world in the first century BC and transformed glass from a luxury into a widely available material. In medieval and Renaissance Europe, glassblowers of Venice and Murano achieved remarkable skill, and their methods spread across the continent. In England, glasshouses in London, Stourbridge, Bristol and Newcastle produced drinking glasses, bottles, decanters and window glass, including crown glass spun into large discs. A glassblower's work often leaves evidence such as a pontil mark on the base, slight asymmetries and tiny bubbles, which help distinguish hand-blown pieces from later machine-made glass. The craft revived in the studio glass movement of the twentieth century. Understanding how a glassblower works helps collectors appreciate the skill behind an antique glass and recognise the signs of genuine hand production.
