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How were handles, stems, and feet attached to ancient blown-glass vessels?

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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.

In the context of ancient blown-glass vessels, handles, stems, and feet were typically attached to the main body of the vessel through a process of welding or fusing while the glass was still in a soft, molten state.12

Following the invention of glassblowing in the 1st century BCE, craftsmen utilized a pontil—a solid metal rod—to hold the vessel while they worked. This tool allowed the glassblower to manipulate the vessel and add various components. When a handle, foot, or stem was desired, the artisan would fuse the additional piece of molten glass directly onto the vessel. While the material remained soft, the gaffer could further refine these additions using hand tools, such as shears or tweezers, to achieve the intended shape or decorative complexity.12