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How did millefiori glass get its flowerlike patterns?

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fish of core-made glass — glassware Fish of core-made glass with “combed” decoration, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty (c. 1363–46 bc). In the British Museum. 0.141 m × .069 m.

Millefiori glass, a term meaning "thousand flowers," achieves its signature patterns through a precise assembly and fusion process.

The technique begins by bundling thin glass rods of various colors together and heating them until they fuse into a single unit. This bundle is then pulled thin, cooled, and sliced cross-sectionally, creating small, intricate disks that display flowerlike designs.12

To incorporate these patterns into glassware, the disks are applied to the surface of a hot, blown glass object, such as a vase or bowl. The piece is then reheated and blown a second time, which embeds the disks into the glass and results in a vibrant, fade-resistant ornamental finish. This method is a specialized form of mosaic glass production, a craft with roots in ancient Egypt that was later refined by Roman and Venetian artisans.13