Corning Museum of Glass

Beyond Venice: glass in Venetian style, 1500-1750.

Page, formerly the curator of European glass at the Corning Museum (she's now at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio), is joined by curators from prestigious collections in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and England who have contributed chapters on glass produced in the often flamboyant Venetian style in each of those countries and in Austria. The chapters discuss topics that include the development of the glass industry, its patrons, guild and industry traditions, and regional production for each country considered. Published to accompany an exhibition held at the Corning Museum in 2004, this substantial and beautifully illustrated catalogue serves as an important contribution to the history of the medium. Distributed by Hudson Hills Press. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sasanian and post-Sasanian glass; in the Corning Museum of Glass.

The Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, New York) contains 72 objects believed to date from or be in the style of the Sasanian Empire, an Iranian dynasty from the 3rd to 7th centuries. The executive director explains that the artefacts' origins are uncertain because they rarely came from controlled archeological sites. Grouped primarily by technique, catalog entries provide detailed descriptions, comments on comparable pieces in other collections, images, and item-specific references. Additional material includes notes on a forgery, chemical analyses, concordances, and drawings of vessels with distinctive applied ornament. Distributed by Hudson Hills Press. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)