APPLIED BLOBS AS DECORATION

During the making of vessels, blobs of molten glass were dropped onto the surface creating a raised decoration, sometimes called prunts.  It was an option for the glassmaker to leave the blobs in an irregular smooth shape or to form a pattern such as a lion head or a raspberry design as with the German roemers.   On others the hot glass blobs were pulled out with a tool forming spikes.  The texture of these prunts provided a  firm grip on the vessel, as diners during the Middle Ages may have been eating with their fingers.

The following pictures show examples from our collection to illustrate various styles of blob decoration.

57R Roman cup or lamp with blue blobs 4th Century Allaire Collection

Early Roemer Spiked Prunts Early 17th C.

Krautstrunk Smooth Prunts 1500 C.

Facon de Venise Covered Jar with Animal Head Medallions 1600 C. Allaire collection

Roemer with Rounded Prunts 1650-1675

Engraved Roemer with Rassberry Prunts Late 17th C.

1E Salviati goblet with Animal Head Medallions 19th Century