Book Report: A scholarly telling of the story of Medieval glass vessels

Medieval Glass for Popes, Princes, and Peasants

By David Whitehouse

(with contributions from William Gudenrath

and Karl Hans Wedepohl)

The Corning Museum of Glass

274 pages, $34.95

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.

The first half of Medieval Glass is stocked with chapters that recount the types of glass vessels produced during a given period (touching on Ancient Rome before plunging into the several periods of the Middle Ages, ending with the Renaissance), as well as remarking on their function and the history of research into these vessels. Yet the writing here is more taxonomy and compilation than a weaving-together of historical context. Though interesting bits of information are scattered throughout, the dry, sparse writing style hinders the general reader’s interest in them.

Even more narrowly focused are the additional essays by contributors Karl Hans Wedepohl and William Gudenrath that cover the chemical composition of Medieval glass types and the technical process of crafting glass vessels, respectively. At least Gudenrath’s essay is accompanied by crisp, up-close photographs in which the glassmaking processes are handsomely recreated.

One must conclude from this that Medieval Glass is not meant for the general public at all, which in itself is no intrinsic problem, yet it does seem to represent a missed opportunity. Of course, the real story of Medieval glass vessels are first and foremost the vessels themselves, and the catalog that comprises the second-half of the book presents clear, attractive images of them that allow a viewer rich details to ponder. Even without text that places these vessels into their societal context, they maintain a haunting visual aura, one that remains mysterious.

While his introductory essay acknowledges the need to shed light on the vessels otherwise overshadowed by the sheer visual force of Medieval stained glass, Whitehouse never steps out from his museum scholar’s voice. Indeed, the small glass vessels pictured in the book have their own particular allure, albeit of a much subtler variety than stained glass windows. A book that tells their story in a way that appeals to general and specialist readers alike remains to be written.

—Lee Gaizak Brooks