A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Mandrel: Long, round rods of high temperature metal used when making flameworking beads.
Marquetry: A decorating technique whereby pieces of hot glass are applied to still molten glass and marvered into the surface, creating an inlaid effect. After the glass is cooled, it is possible to further emphasize these areas by carving and engraving.
Marver (French marbre, "marble"): A smooth, flat surface, on which softened glass is rolled when attached to the blowpipe or pontil in order to smooth it or to consolidate applied decoration.
Matrix: Opaque material used as a cement to hold the glass in place in a faceted panel.
Medallion: A small, bordered picture area of a window, primarily of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Medieval: A time period that included the Romanesque and Gothic periods, also called "The Middle Ages," from about A.D. 500 to 1500.
Melt: The fluid glass produced by melting a batch of raw materials.
Millefiori (Italian, "1,000 flowers"): Slices of glass that contain a flower like design. Often found in paperweights, beads, and jewelry.
Mirror: Glass with a silvered layer applied to the back to reflect, rather than transmit light. The overlying glass can be clear or colored, with or without texture.
Mold: A form, normally made of wood or metal, used for shaping and/or decorating molten glass. Some molds (e.g., dip molds impart a pattern to the parison, which is then withdrawn, and blown and tooled to the desired shape and size; other molds are used to give the object its final form, with or without decoration.
Moist Pack: A refractory fiber with a heat setting rigidizer used in kiln work to form shapes for slumping, sagging or manipulating glass.
Mosaic: A surface decorated with many small, adjoining pieces of varicolored materials such as stone or glass.
Mosaic Glass: Objects made from preformed elements placed in a mold and heated until they fuse. The term "mosaic glass" is preferable to "millefiori," except in the case of Venetian or faηon de Venise glass.
Mottled Glass: Also know as ring mottled. Named for the crystal growth that
forms round or circular patterns of color characteristic of this glass. Mottled glass generally is a
mix of several colors. The mottling produces a very dynamic, organic look, giving the glass a
certain dimensional quality due in part to the variations in color, density, and textural surface.
Mouth Blown: Glass produced by forcing air, by mouth, through a blowpipe into molten glass.
Moretti: Another name used for Italian glass rods melting at a lower temperature and having a coefficient of expansion (COE) of 104.
Muffle Kiln: A low-temperature kiln for refiring glass to fuse enamel, fix gilding, and produce luster. embedded in a glass object.
Mullion: The vertical strip dividing the panes of a window.
Muntin: A horizontal strip dividing panes of a window.
Murrina, Murrini, Murrino (from Latin murra): The English adjective "murrhine" and the Italian adjective murrino are sometimes applied to mosaic glass and similar objects. When used as a noun, murrina refers to a slice of a complex cane, while a murrino is an insert of multicolored glass.
The sources for this material include:
Glass: A Pocket Dictionary of Terms Commonly Used to Describe Glass and Glassmaking.
Compiled by David Whitehouse, 88 pp., 47 illus., 1993
How to Work in Stained Glass. Anita & Seymour Isenberg, 247 pp., 1972
Stained Glass Lamps. Anita & Seymour Isenberg, 222 pp., 1972
The Techniques of Stained Glass. Partrick Reyntiens, 168 pp. 1977
The Coming Museum Website: www.cmog.org
The Stained Glass Association of America Website: www.stainedglass.org
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