In 1996 mosaics were accidentally uncovered during highway construction in the modern Israeli town of Lod, not far from Tel Aviv (see map). Lod is ancient Lydda, which was destroyed by the Romans in a.d. 66 during the Jewish War. Refounded by Hadrian as Diospolis, Lydda was awarded the rank of a Roman colony under Septimius Severus in a.d. 200.

Mellon Curatorial Fellow Matt Saba examines the role of glass in architectural ornaments using objects currently on view in the exhibition Pattern, Color, Light: Architectural Ornament in the Near East (500–1000).

Islamic glassmakers were not only brilliant technicians and innovators in their own right, but they also preserved many of the methods of their Sasanian and Roman predecessors, passing them on centuries later to Venetian and other masters. Glass of the Sultans is the first comprehensive study of the accomplishments of these craftsmen, which are of lasting significance both to Islamic and to world art. Drawing on objects from numerous domestic and foreign collections, the volume ranges from the seventh to the nineteenth century and through many of the major artistic centers of the Muslim world—and beyond, to India and Europe. It is the catalogue of an exhibition held at The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Benaki Museum, Athens. Five essays present the most current scholarly assessment of the subject. The first focuses on how several factors—the customary lack of inscriptions on the objects, the fragility of their material, and their widespread dispersion through trade—complicate any study of the history of Islamic glass production. The next essay traces the interest in these objects, which has continued to grow since its first blossoming in Europe during the mid- and late nineteenth century. Archaeological discoveries—from the earliest excavations at Fustat, Samaria, and Nishapur to more recent finds from the Serce Limam shipwreck, off the Turkish coast, and from the Famen Temple, in China—are the subject of the third essay. In discussing the chemistry and technology of Islamic glass, the fourth essay touches on such important topics as how the chemical composition of an object may throw light on its provenance and what a typical medieval Islamic glass factory must have been like. Finally, various relevant glassworking and glass-decorating techniques are described and shown in more than seventy illustrations. The 157 masterworks published here, many for the first time, constitute the most generous selection ever of high-quality Islamic glass. They cover a wide variety of objects, from perfume flasks to mosque lamps, candlesticks to drinking horns, inkwells to lutqqa bases. All the important Islamic glassworking and glass-decorating techniques are represented, ranging from the simplest undecorated free-blown objects through examples of mold-blown, hot-worked, mosaic, and cut and engraved glass and culminating in the elaborate gilded and enameled vessels that mark the pinnacle of the Islamic glassmakers' art. Also of interest are the examples of European glass objects either made for the eastern market or directly inspired by Islamic models, such as a thirteenth-century Venetian enameled beaker and nineteenth-century versions of mosque lamps by Philippe-Joseph Brocard and Émile Gallé.

Spectrum Chair Christopher Gorman discusses China: Through the Looking Glass with exhibition curator Andrew Bolton.

You've probably heard a lot about Google Glass, the mobile wearable technology created by Google that enables users to capture images and video, to receive email, SMS messages, and social media updates, and to find directions or browse the Internet. Although it's arguably the most famous, it's only one of many new mobile devices that has emerged in a field of wearable cameras, smart watches, and wristbands. We can all imagine how to use these devices in our daily lives, but what about inside a museum?

These studies were undertaken to form a historical and technological context for the large amount of vitreous material, most of which is now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, believed to come from the tomb of three foreign wives of Tuthmosis III (ca. 1479–1425 B.C.). The tomb yielded a glass vessel and a large number of beads and inlays, as well as two more unusual vitreous vessels; and, as the reign of Tuthmosis III is commonly understood as the beginning of intentional glassmaking in Egypt, the study became an opportunity to consider the larger question of its origin: did glassmaking grow out of experimentation in other vitreous materials, or did it arrive with artisans or objects from nearby Western Asia? This survey of the archaeological and analytical literature, many compositional analyses of glass and additional vitreous materials, and lead-isotope studies are offered here as an integrated effort to move that discussion forward. Concluding statements at the end of each study suggest interpretations and indicate limitations.

Among glass craftsman active in the 1st century A.D., the most famous and gifted was Ennion, who hailed from the coastal city of Sidon in modern Lebanon. Ennion’s glass stood out for its quality and popularity. His products are distinguished by the fine detail and precision of their relief decoration, which imitates designs found on contemporaneous silverware. This compact, but thorough volume examines the most innovative and elegant known examples of Roman mold-blown glass, providing a uniquely comprehensive, up-to-date study of these exceptional works. Included are some twenty-six remarkably preserved examples of drinking cups, bowls, and jugs signed by Ennion himself, as well as fifteen additional vessels that were clearly influenced by him. The informative texts and illustrations effectively convey the lasting aesthetic appeal of Ennion’s vessels, and offer an accessible introduction to an ancient art form that reached its apogee in the early decades of the Roman Empire.

C. Griffith Mann, Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge of the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, introduces the exhibition Treasures and Talismans: Rings from the Griffin Collection and discusses the process of refurbishing the Glass Gallery for the installation.

Guest blogger Hallie describes her fantastical experience in the exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass.

Editorial Assistant Rachel High interviews Platon on his approach to photographing China: Through the Looking Glass artworks for the accompanying catalogue.