Encalmo - What is It, and How Does it Work?

Encalmo (classically known as Incalmo) is a Venetian glass blowing technique that involves fusing different glass sections. Encalmo pieces are traditionally worked with several bands of color, stacked on top of each other to create a uniquely heady aesthetic. This is an impressively tricky technique to get down, as colors require different temperatures to work without damage.

“Incalmo” literally means “graft” in Venetian, and that’s the perfect word to describe this technique. In order to make an encalmo piece, glassblowers must work two separate bubbles of glass and then join them together. In order to join the separate parts, glassblowers open the end of each bubble and join them in the flame. The joining is particularly difficult because the lips of both bubbles must be identical sizes to be joined correctly. Traditional encalmo vases and receptacles feature two or three different colored sections joined together. Contemporary functional glass pieces often feature several encalmo sections, creating a one-of-a-kind spectrum of color.

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