(Italian: “thousand flowers”).  A glassmaking technique that produces complex decorative patterns. The technique begins with production of a glass cane  with multicolored patterns viewable only at the cut ends of the cane. The cane is heated and pulled, then cooled and cut into discs. The discs can then be re-heated and fused together in a mold. Web resource here.

Miniature bowl with design of millefiore motifs. Abbasid. 9th century. St. Louis Art Museum.