Multimedia catalogue Glass Pattern LAB
10.01.2026. Thanks to the documentation of glassmaking practices in engraving and grinding, carried out with the help of our engravers, we produced 152 technical drawings of patterns used both in serial production and as free forms. Thirty of the most characteristic patterns were animated according to the stages of their creation, exactly as these traditional bodies of knowledge were shared with us by the engravers. Grinding and engraving patterns, as their most recognizable element, developed through the living practice of engravers, grinders, draftsmen, and designers, often without formal technical documentation – emerging from intuitive work, oral transmission of knowledge, and generational experience. They were created both for serial glass decoration and as free forms, executed on individual objects or samples.
Each region, master, and instructor had a specific approach to pattern making, so even seemingly similar motifs differed in the manner of grinding and engraving – not only in visual expression, but also in the process and methods of execution. This practice was largely shaped by local and regional conditions, tied to environments where production prerequisites existed for its development – workshops, studios, and glass factories.
The Pattern Lab multimedia catalogue is a platform for experimentation, reinterpretation, and contemporary application of traditional patterns, as well as an invitation to further research, understanding, and revitalization of Paraćin cut glass grinding and engraving as a lasting value of our cultural heritage and an inspiration for future generations.
The Pattern Lab multimedia catalogue was created as part of the project Paraćin Cut Glass: Digitalization of Paraćin Grinding and the Creation of Digital Documentation of Grinding and Engraving Patterns, co-financed by the budget of the Republic of Serbia – Ministry of Culture and the European Union.