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Publication Source
Seeking Transparency: Rock Crystals Across the Medieval Mediterranean
Inclusive Pages
117–128
Creation Date
2020
Publisher
Dietrich Reimer
Document Type
Book Chapter
Description
Like the sea, and the watery medium with which rock crystal is identified in the Middle Ages, the history of its production during the Middle Ages ebbs and flows. From Late Antiquity to the age of the great Portuguese expansion, specific knowledge about carving the hard material, was kept a closely guarded secret in just a few centers of production. All the while, royal courts and wealthy churches were eager patrons for the luxurious objects given that rock crystal was valued as one of the most desirable and precious of all materials, ascribed mysterious origins and powers, and renowned for both rarity and clarity. This collection of essays reveals the global and cross-cultural histories of rock-crystal production in and even beyond the lands of the Mediterranean Sea. It investigates many objects and varied aspects of rock crystal such as: the physical nature and legendary as well as actual origins of the material; its manufacturing techniques and affiliations to other luxurious objects, such as cut glass and carved precious stones; legends and traditions associated with its aesthetic qualities; as well as issues concerning its varied functions and historiography. Source: Publisher
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Chapter from book: Seeking Transparency: Rock Crystals Across the Medieval Mediterranean
Editors: Avinoam Shalem, Cynthia Hahn Authors: Zainab Bahrani, Isabelle Bardies, Farid Benfeghoul, Patrick R. Crowley, Brigitte Buettner, Beate Fricke, Stefania Gerevini, Marisa Galvez, Jeremy Johns, Genevra Kornbluth, Jens Kröger, Ingeborg Krueger, Elise Morero, Bissera V. Pentcheva, Marcus Pilz, Stephane Pradines, Venetia Porter, Hara Procopiou, Gia Toussaint, Roberto Vargiolu, Hassan Zahouani