All About Glass

All About Glass

This is your resource for exploring various topics in glass: delve deeper with this collection of articles, multimedia, and virtual books all about glass. Content is frequently added to the area, so check back for new items. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, send us your suggestion. If you have a specific question, Ask a Glass Question at our Rakow Research Library.

Fakes & Forgeries
Video

Listen as former curator David Whitehouse describes glass fakes and forgeries. A fake is a genuine object that has been altered or "improved," usually to enhance its value. A forgery is a copy or imitation of an object, made to deceive people (usually prospective owners) into believing

The Corning Ewer
Video

Listen as former curator David Whitehouse describes the Corning Ewer, an outstanding example of Islamic relief-cut cameo glass. A layer of transparent light green glass was applied to a layer of colorless glass. Most of the outer layer was then cut away, leaving the decoration in relief. Although

60 Years- Surprising Discoveries
Video

Curators occasionally make surprising discoveries. Before the Museum acquired this object, it was identified as an 18th-century Indian spittoon. The surface is crizzled (that is, it has begun to deteriorate). The curator had never seen an example of crizzled Indian glass, so he looked at it closely

Paperweights- Family
Video

Listen as curator David Whitehouse describes the stages of making a paperweight.