. Glass. tion had to be caught by some-thing new and extravagant. Little heed is paid to this more elaborately decoratedglass by the great contemporary painters. In fact, I canfind no example of it in their works. When glass isintroduced, it is invariably of the simplest the big altar-pieces of Giovanni Bellini, of Cima, or ofCarpaccio, the glass lamps that hang from the roof arein the form of little conical cups of plain outline. Amidall the elaborate staffage of Crivellis pictures, the lily onthe table or ledge beside the Virgin stands in a littlecylindrical beaker of glass, f
. Glass. tion had to be caught by some-thing new and extravagant. Little heed is paid to this more elaborately decoratedglass by the great contemporary painters. In fact, I canfind no example of it in their works. When glass isintroduced, it is invariably of the simplest the big altar-pieces of Giovanni Bellini, of Cima, or ofCarpaccio, the glass lamps that hang from the roof arein the form of little conical cups of plain outline. Amidall the elaborate staffage of Crivellis pictures, the lily onthe table or ledge beside the Virgin stands in a littlecylindrical beaker of glass, for all the world like a moderntumbler.^ So in the next century we may search in vainin the pictures of Titian or of Veronese for elaborateexamples of Venetian glass. In the banquet scenes ofthe latter painter, the wine indeed is served from gracefuldecanters with tall necks and globular bodies, and is 1 This vessel appears to be sometimes filled, not with water, but with moistsand or PLATE XXXII. VARIETIES OF VENETIAN GLASS drunk from tazza-shaped goblets of glass,^ but on thecredenza or buffet at the side, the gold and silver plate isnever relieved by examples of our material. A curious account of a banquet given at Mantua, onthe occasion of the marriage of the Marquis, is quotedby Mr. Nesbitt from a contemporary writer. There was,we are told, on this occasion such a display of * diversibicchieri, carrafe, e giarre ed altri bellissimi vast di cris-tallo di Venezia, che credo vi fussero co7tcorse tutte lebotteghe di Morano ! And there was need of this store,he adds, seeing that after they had drunk, the guestsproceeded to break the glasses they held in their handsper segno di grande allegrezza.^ We are reminded ofthe feast described by Joinville, though in that case theglasses were swept off the table by the well-aimed Bibleof one of the guests (see p. 136). I shall now have to pass in rapid review the principalvarieties and applications of the glass made at Muranoin
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