Small Pate de Verre bowl in green glass and 24 ct gold Handmade by Alison Lowry in her studio in Saintfield, Northern Ireland.

Pate de verre translates to mean ‘paste of glass’. Crushed glass is mixed with glue and packed into hand built plaster moulds. After two kiln firings, the glue has burnt away and the plaster mould is broken off to reveal a glass vessel. This delicate technique dates right back to Ancient Egyptian times.

Approximate size: diameter 15cm, height 7cm.

About the maker:

Alison Lowry is a glass artist who has worked with the technique of pate de verre for over 10 years.  Alison has won numerous awards including first place in the category, ‘Glass Art’ at the Royal Dublin Show in 2015 and 2009, the Silver medal at the Royal Ulster Arts Club’s Annual Exhibition in 2010, the Warm Glass Prize in 2010 and 2011 and more recently the Bronze Award at Bullseye Glass’ ‘Emerge’ exhibition. Alison exhibits both locally and internationally and her work is held in several public collections; with the National Gallery of Ireland recently accquiring the exhibition ‘(A)dressing our hidden truths’ and the  Arts Council of Northern Ireland making a fifth purchase for their collection.