The Twilight of the Medici: Late Baroque Art in Florence, 1670–1743 (review)

Books 161 Readings in Glass History. Selected and edited by Anita Engle. Phoenix Publications, Jerusalem. No. I , 100 pp., $3.00; No. 2, 99 pp., $3.50 (1973). No. 3, 101 pp., $4.00; No. 4, 90 pp. (1974). Illus. Paper. Reviewed by Gladys Davidson Weinberg* Many if not most students of ancient and medieval glass are familiar with the writings of Anita Engle and with her studies of glass manufacture. Now she has gathered together her previous articles, added new ones and included articles by others (some new, some reprinted) that pertain to glassmaking. The title refers to four numbers, to which more are to be added. No. 1contains six articles by Engle: ‘3,000 Years of Glassmaking on the Phoenician Coast’, ‘Who Were the Early Glassmakers?’, ‘Galilee as a Center of Glassmaking in the Roman Period’, ‘A Study of the Names of Early Glassmaking Families of Europe as a Source of Glass History’, ‘A 16th Century Jewish Glassblower from Spain’, ‘A Semantic Approach to Glass History’. Some of these are now out of date. The titles often do not suggest the full extent of the contents, particularly the third, which includes material as late as the 18th century. There is repetition in some cases, while the extensive bibliography omits important sources such as Schuler’s articles in Archaeology (1959). No. 2 has five articles: ‘Armanaz in Syria and Its Role in the Medieval Glass Industry’ by Engle, with an extract from an article by J. Gaulmier; ‘The Medieval Glass Industry as Reflected in the Cairo Geniza’ is reprinted from S . D. Goitein’s works; ‘Early Islamic Glassmakers’ by H. J. Cohen, is a partial reprint; ‘Some Aspects of Tradewith Syria in the Crusader Period’includes three short extracts from works by E. Barker and E. H. Byrne and ‘Commercial Contracts of the Genoese in the Syrian Trade of the 12th Cent.’ is a long discussion by E. H. Byrne that, although it does not mention glass as the editor notes, provides a picture of the way commerce was carried on. No. 3 returns to ancient times. Of eight articles, all but two are by the editor. ‘The Elder Pliny and the River’ is a partial repetition of the first article of No. 1, but with emphasis on Egyptian religious practices. ‘The Egyptian Interlude’ continues this theme. ‘Fine Lapis Lazuli from Babylon’ is a brief extract from Sydney Smith’s Early History of Assyria (1928), suggesting that lapis mentioned in tribute lists of Tuthmosis 111 may actually have been glass. ‘The Lady and the Snake’ (Ishtar being the ‘lady’) treats the role of religion in determining the origin of glass, placing it in North Syria or Mesopotamia. The contribution of tradition to medieval times is also discussed. In ‘A New Dating for the Two Oldest Recorded Pieces of Glass’ the author does not appear to alter the dates as now accepted. ‘The Canaanite God of Crafts and His Egyptian and Cretan Domains’ is a discussion that may have indirect bearing on glass. ‘The Craftsmen’s Guild of the Kings of Judah’ speculates on the meaning of inscribed jar handles, but is not concerned with glassmaking except by inference. ‘The Rebirth of Millefiori at Baccarat’ by G. Chaumeil (a reprint) offers a startling end to this volume, as it deals with modern times, but glass is glass, no matter when or where you find it. No. 4 takes one to the Byzantine period with five articles by Engle and two by others. ‘Rabbi Hiyya the Elder-Halakhist and Travelling Salesman’ is an interesting discussion of a second-century merchant and into this story the author has inserted her well-known belief that glassmaking in Phoenicia was solely a Jewish occupation ‘from at least the second century B.C.E. until as late as the twelfth century C.E.,’ a hypothesis not generally accepted. ‘Preliminary Report on the Iconography of Jewish Glass Vessels from the Herodian to the Late Antique Period’ by I. Renov, is a study of mould-blown glass vessels of the first century and later. The author is in opposition to D. Barag’s interpretation of the later *Museum of Art and Archeology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO...