Colour twist glassware made by introducing tinted glass rods into transparent glass was a technique which originated in Venice in the first half of the 16th century, and was introduced to Turkey in the early 19th century by a Mevlevi dervish sent to study under Venetian glass craftsmen. It is thought that the Turkish name çeşmibülbül, or eye of the nightingale, was inspired by the spiralling patterns in the eye of that bird. This ware continued to be made at glass shops in Beykoz until the last years of the 19th century, and commenced again in the second half of the 20th century. The manufacture of colour twist vases, plates, jugs and other ware is a complicated process requiring a high degree of skill. One of the Turkish glass makers who has helped to revive the traditional colour twist ware is Yusuf Görmüş, who started work in 1944 at the Paşabahçe Glass Factory, where his father was also a glass maker. This factory recommenced making colour twist glass in 1964, reproducing examples in museums and private collections.

Dolomite, feldspar, soda, lime, sand and additives are combined and heated to a temperature of 1500-1600 degrees Centigrade, so that they fuse into molten glass. The hollow rod or puntil is then dipped into the glass in the crucible and twisted so that a lump, known as the paraison, sticks to the end. The glass maker blows gently into the puntil so that the paraison forms a balloon of hot glass, which is then placed inside a horizontal wooden mould and slowly turned until it forms a cylindrical shape. This is now placed in a metal mould, around the sides of which the desired number of coloured glass rods have been placed, and blows again until the hot glass sticks to the cold glass rods. It is now removed and revolved until the rods have heated up, at which point the paraison is again dipped into transparent molten glass, which forms a hot outer layer, so enclosing the rods in a double layer of glass.

Now it is time to begin shaping the object by bringing together the lower ends of the rods into a bunch, which is done by slowly squeezing with special tongs, simultaneously twisting and pulling. This is a highly sensitive procedure, as the rods must be joined with exact symmetry, and a mistake at this stage can spoil the object completely.
The piece must be re-heated before the final moulding. It is placed in the mould and then blown and twisted in one direction, so that the strands of colour form a spiral. The puntil is now removed, and the final stage of shaping the rim using various special tools begins. The rim is first heated to soften the glass once more. The vessel is then left to cool, and is ready to grace its new home with its elegant shape and beautiful swirling design.

* Behzat Şahin is a journalist