Audiobook Glass

Edward Dillon presents a comprehensive survey of glass history, art, and technology from antiquity to the dawn of the industrial era. The work investigates the primitive glass of Egypt and Syria, examining how early artisans shaped glass pastes over cores before the invention of the blowing-iron. The narrative then follows the explosive growth of blown and moulded glass during the Roman Empire, detailing techniques such as cameo-cutting, millefiori, and diatretum work. Dillon analyses the rare survival of Byzantine and early Christian glass, the intricate Hedwig beakers, and the high-fire enamelled masterpieces of the Saracens. The evolution moves westward through the forest glass of the Middle Ages, the emergence of the Venetian cristallo, and the subsequent developments in German, Dutch, and English workshops. The author grounds every historical period in concrete technical details, examining the composition of silica, alkalis, and fluxes, alongside the specific mechanics of the furnace, the pontil, and the marver.