Description
Glass is one of the most exciting of man's discoveries. At the same time beautiful and utilitarian, fragile and lasting, it has been used to fashion the most delicate of ornaments and vessels since the secret of its manufacture was first unlocked by the Phoenicians. The earliest glass pastes were brilliantly coloured and applied to small objects to make them look like precious stones; the Egyptians exported simple glass beads for many centuries. The introduction of glass- blowing by the Syrians opened up new technical and artistic possibilities. Glass became more refined, colourless and transparent, and glassblowing skills spread rapidly through the Middle East, producing work of astonishing beauty and variety. This book, illustrated with many examples from different periods, documents the separate development of the art in cultural centres throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, culminating in the unsurpassed achieve- ments of the Venetian craftsmen of Murano, much of whose fine crystal glass survives today.
ISBN:9780304321865
