A Brief History Continued...

After the Romans invented glassblowing, glass became easier and less expensive to produce and pāte de verre all but vanished until its revival in Europe in the 19th century. Influenced by archeological discoveries, French artists like Gabriel Argy-Rousseau and the American Frederick Carder reinvented the process, helped by technology of the Industrial Revolution.

After the onset of World War II, glass casting again declined, like most labor-intensive handcrafts. But technology brought further improvements to the kiln glass arts in the late 20th century and a handful of artists like Thomas R. McPhee are again reinventing the art form.