The Making of a Tomte
An essential part of Nordic folklore, the Tomte is a mischievous but devoted little elf or gnome. They patter around the home (or hot shop) at night, making sure everyone is safe and everything is as it should be.
AO Glass brings the legend of the Tomte to life in glass, each handcrafted with unique personality.
The body
The Tomte starts with the first “gather” of molten glass to shape the clear body.
The hat
A second gather is rolled in frit - colored, powdered glass - and then put into the reheating chamber to melt together.
The meeting of the two
The colored glass, visible here as molten orange, is carefully dropped on top of the body and then cut with shears, creating a tall hat.
Reheating
The Tomte is sent back into the reheating chamber to prepare it for its final adjustments.
Adjusting the shape
The hat, now fused to the body, is rolled on a steel table under the watchful eye of Tomte elders.
Final adjustment
Still hot, the Tomte’s hat gets its last tweaks with a flat piece of graphite.
The red nose
A thin red glass rod is heated to produce the Tomte’s unique nose.
The result
After a cozy night in the kiln, the Tomte emerges and is ready to go out into the world.
