The phrase “medieval glass” evokes images of stained glass windows. But there’s another world of medieval glass - objects made for daily use, and that world is explored in “Medieval Glass for Popes, Princes, and Peasants” at the Corning Museum of Glass. The exhibition, which opened in May and runs through January 3, 2011, is the first of its kind to appear in the United States. It follows the evolution of glass production over 1,000 years - from its height in the Roman Empire, through the radical social and political change of the Middle Ages (when all but the simplest glassmaking techniques were forgotten) until the golden age of Venetian glassmaking during the Renaissance.
The glass vessels and objects in the exhibit range from highly decorated drinking vessels to church reliquaries - highlighting the many uses of glass in medieval society, and the significance of the material to local economies, religious ceremonies and scientific developments.
“There exists a remarkable range of glass objects made for daily use which provide rare insight into a cross section of medieval society,” explains Dr. David Whitehouse, executive director of The Corning Museum of Glass and curator of this exhibition. “The objects in this exhibition trace the history of the Middle Ages in Europe through the lens of glassmaking. The story touches on politics, trade, urbanization and the disintegration of cities, religion, science, and technology - and highlights the importance of the material to the development of the world we know today. Its arc spans a period of 1,000 years - nearly one quarter of the history of glassmaking - and depicts the rise of glassmaking from a dark period of reduced knowledge to an era of innovation.”
Glassmaking saw its greatest era in the ancient world during the Roman Empire, when glassmakers used a rich variety of techniques to meet the demands of wealthy patrons. As the Roman Empire disintegrated and Europe became politically fragmented, there were fewer glassmaking centers. The demand for glass and other luxury goods was reduced, and many glassmaking techniques were lost. It was not until the late Middle Ages, with the rise of craft guilds and cities, that glassmaking techniques were revived, setting the stage for the next great era of glassmaking - the emergence of Venice as the principal glassmaking center in the Renaissance.
The more than 100 objects in “Medieval Glass” are drawn from the Corning Museum’s collection, as well as from museums and cathedral treasuries in Europe, where many pieces were held for centuries without being properly identified. Some were discovered during archeological excavations - which gave scholars and archeologists a groundbreaking new vision of the richness and variety of medieval glass, its production centers, and techniques used by medieval gla
