| Glasswares have been with us since the dawn of | | | | of stained glass mosaics during the Medieval Period. |
| man. Even the ancient cultures lusted after the | | | | To produce such, little chunks of glass called tesserae |
| beauty of these translucent crafts. From its humble | | | | were cut out from solid, and colored blobs of glass |
| beginnings as simple baubles, glasswares have | | | | to be put together to form an artwork. Between |
| evolved to be a serious, delicate art. | | | | these tesserae would be inlays of silver or gold. |
| Man probably came across naturally formed glass in | | | | These mosaics would be set in cement and displayed |
| the earliest times. Nature sometimes produces | | | | on walls where light could pass through them. The |
| samples of obsidian from the fusion of minerals | | | | result would usually be a spectacularly colored |
| through heat. Man then tried to create his own | | | | artwork that would usually adorn chapels and |
| version of this phenomenon. By experimenting | | | | cathedrals. |
| throughout the ages, he became successful - creating | | | | During the Renaissance in the 16th century, the |
| what we now call glass. | | | | Venetians dominated the glassmaking industry. Their |
| The earliest evidence of glassware is found among | | | | specific contribution to the art was the development |
| the cultures of the Middle East circa 3000 B.C. These | | | | of cristallo glassware. These cristallo were colorless |
| glasswares were simple glass beads - trinkets used in | | | | and transparent. They represented pure rock crystals |
| decorating self and home. | | | | and were highly sought after. |
| Hollow glass vessels appeared around the time of | | | | Later on, these Venetians produced increasingly |
| pharaoh Thutmose III. Glass artisans flourished during | | | | delicate artworks using cristallo. So famed were their |
| this time, as Asian craftsmen established the trade in | | | | glassware that artisans from Venice were not |
| Egypt. | | | | allowed to leave the country lest they divulge the |
| From 1200 B.C. to 900 B.C. there was not much | | | | secrets to their glassmaking art. |
| improvement in the art of creating glassware. In 900 | | | | In the 1800's the delicate cristallo would be |
| B.C. Syria and Mesopotamia became well-known as | | | | superseded by glassware from Germany and England |
| glass making centers of the world. | | | | which was harder and more durable. |
| The next step in the evolution of glassware came in | | | | During the 1900's the rapid advance of technology |
| the 1st Century B.C., when the Phoenicians | | | | allowed for a better quality of glass. Mechanical and |
| discovered the art of glassblowing. | | | | chemical methods in glass production were |
| The early methods were rather crude. To produce | | | | discovered. Also, the ancient techniques in |
| various shapes and sizes, the craftsmen would have | | | | glassmaking were revived. |
| to chip the solid form of the glass. Only later was the | | | | Today, modern technology allows for the mass |
| knowledge on manipulating the liquid form of glass | | | | production of glass. Decorative glassware no longer is |
| discovered. | | | | bound by limited knowledge on its manipulation. |
| In the Middle Ages, the Frankish influence directed | | | | Nowadays, glassware can be shaped and decorated |
| glassmaker to produce rudimentary usable glassware, | | | | according to the fancy of its designers. |
| and some new designs too. Adornment of these was | | | | In some countries, though, glassmaking retains its |
| usually limited to simple molded patterns, threading, | | | | artistic and cultural significance as some artisans still |
| and the use of prunts, or little glass beads imbedded | | | | produce glassware through the ancient method |
| the glassware. | | | | passes along from generation to generation. |
| The crowning glory of this age was the development | | | | |