【LIULIGONGFANG】12 Steps of Pâte-de-verre

【Pâte-de-verre】
Originating three thousand years ago in the river civilization of Mesopotamia, pâte-de-verre flourished during the 19th century French Art Nouveau period. The process involves casting a wax sculpture in plaster, melting out that wax and adding glass ingredients to the leftover negative space.
According to known artifacts, the Chinese mastery of the technique dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). However, the art was lost after this period and became a regretful void in the timeline of Chinese history.
In 1987, LIULIGONGFANG was founded upon the idea of pâte-de-verre. The advantage of this technique is the potential for incredible detail. Experimentation in pâte-de-verre is constantly expanding the creative realm of LIULI. More importantly, the technique reminds us of the methods used to produce Shang and Zhou Dynasty bronze work. It was our absolute intention to link ourselves to our cultural heritage.
The LIULI pâte-de-verre technique involves a complex twelve-step process. Each step must be performed without error to prevent breakage, irregular air pockets or impurities. Starting as amateurs, LIULIGONGFANG's mastery over pâte-de-verre increased day by day, and finally revived the lost art of LIULI. Because of it, there are over one hundred LIULI workshops in the Asian world that use pâte-de-verre nowadays.
Today, LIULI art is back to the international arena of glass art. LIULIGONGFANG will continuously strive to tell the story of LIULI through this culturally significant medium and the technique of pâte-de-verre.
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