Early Ancient Glass: The Toledo Museum of Art

This attractive if weighty tome by a classics professor at the University of Massachusetts charts the widespread use of glass in the ancient world, from glass vessels found in Mesopotamia to glass sculptures, jewelry and household furnishings of early imperial Rome. The wonder is that all these objects were fashioned using a variety of techniques (see subtitle) invented before glassblowing. In Egypt, glass was abundant and cheap; glass inlays decorated the golden throne of Tutankhamen, and Egyptian women used fluted, blue-glass tubes as containers for kohl. Including 130 color plates and nearly 1000 black-and-white photos and drawings, this catalogue of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio shows that glass inspired pieces of timeless artistic appeal as well as practical utility. A Phoenician pendant's bearded male head has huge eyes that gaze out at us across the centuries. A Roman mosaic bowl sets off fireworks of color. (Oct.)