From its alliterative title, Medieval Glass for Popes, Princes, and Peasants, a new softcover exhibition catalog by Corning Museum of Glass executive director David Whitehouse, one might expect a book that tells the social history behind the treasure trove of rare historic glass assembled for the major ongoing exhibition (through January 2, 2011) at the museum. In the introduction, Whitehouse writes about the need to look more closely at the glass objects so often overshadowed by the glorious stained-glass windows of the same era. But the essays on the glass vessels (cups, beakers, bottles, and so on) in the book seem squarely targeted at the scholar rather than the general reader. While the book presents a catalog of practices and types of vessels, and chronicles the major developments in the history and development of glass vessels in the Middle Ages from the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D. up until the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century, it has little to offer the non-specialist. While readers at any level will find a rich visual story in the excellent printed reproduction record of the exhibition, complete with all relevant details and presented in a clear layout, the text presents a challenge to all but the most dedicated scholar. Continue reading
