Glass 5,000 Years

The fragile and translucent beauty of glass has ensured its continuing popularity as a material for luxury items. This extensively illustrated survey traces the history of glassmaking from its origins in western Asia some 5,000 years ago through the invention of glassblowing around the first century B.C., on to the introduction of mechanized glass production in the nineteenth century, and up to the present.

Discussed and illustrated here in 265 luminous colorplates are the flourishing glass industries of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, the
extraordinary achievement of Roman glass, the sophisticated vessels of the Islamic Near East, the superb artistry of Renaissance Venice, and the ingenious creations of Tiffany, Lalique, Gallé, and other late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century glass artists. And, in an unprecedented 28-page technical section, a master glass blower reconstructs ancient glassmaking techniques in a series of photographic sequences taken in a contemporary glass studio. A glossary of glassmaking terms is included.

The illustrations in this comprehensive survey are mostly from the renowned collections of the British Museum; they represent some of the finest examples of the glassmaker's art. With 265 color illustrations and 28 pages of black-and-white photographs; 2 maps.