What is "murrine"

n. a glass mosaic cane made by fusing together layers of coloured glass

Murrina (common pluralization murrine) is an Italian term for colored patterns or images made in a glass cane (long rods of glass) that are revealed when cut in cross-sections. Murrine can be made in infinite designs—some styles are more familiar, such as millefiori. Artists working in glass design murrine in a variety of ways from simple circular or square patterns to complex detailed designs to even portraits of people. Murrine are designed by layering different colors of molten glass around a core, then heating and stretching it into a rod. When cool, the rod is sliced into cross-sections of desired thickness with each slice possessing the same pattern in cross-section.

The murrina process first appeared in the Middle East more than 4,000 years ago and was revived by Venetian glassmakers on Murano in the early 16th century.

Image:Davidpatchen7 detail.jpg|Example of murrina in scarlet, cream, daffodil and vermilion glass, divided by zanfirico cane. Image:Example simple murrine Patchen.jpg|An example of simple murrina in various opaque colors. Image:Murrine example David Patchen.jpg|An example of multi-layered murrina on the outside of a vessel. Image:Murrine Foglio detail2 - David Patchen.jpg|An example of transparent murrina incorporated into a vessel. Image:Example Complex Murrine Patchen.jpg|An example of complex multi-layered murrina in a sculpture. Image:Murrine Foglio detail - David Patchen.jpg|An example of a mix of different murrine incorporated into blown glass. Image:Murrine Foglio - David Patchen.jpg|An example of a mix of different murrina patterns incorporated into blown glass. Image:Example of picking up murrine onto a blowpipe while blowing glass.JPG|Example of picking up a murrina pattern onto a blowpipe while blowing glass.