Crafting colour: the production and stylistic development of millefiori glass in Britain and Ireland, c AD 580–850

The presence of early medieval millefiori insets on metalwork found across the British Isles has long been noted, as has the manufacture of millefiori canes in Ireland. However, attempts to classify, date and provide provenance for the glass, as opposed to the metal into which it was set, have been limited. New research on glassmaking waste from Barking Abbey, complementing that already published from Jarrow, suggests that millefiori production was not limited to Ireland, and a more complex pattern of supply existed. This paper presents a review of the evidence for millefiori production across the British Isles and a comprehensive classification of the designs found in England from the end of the sixth to the early ninth century. Three broad phases of millefiori use can be identified, which are characterised by developing styles and differing locations of manufacture.