Explore 35 centuries of glass art. Learn how to use this app from The Corning Museum of Glass. It showcases more than 100 highlights of the world's best glass museum, from an ancient Egyptian glass portrait of a pharaoh to Venetian glass masterpieces to works by modern and contemporary artists like Louis Comfort Tiffany, Emile Galle, Dale Chihuly, and Josiah McElheny.

The history of glass and glass making started over 3500 years ago. David Whitehouse introduces the ancient gallery, which illustrates the glass that was made in the ancient world and in the Islamic medieval period.

Listen as curator David Whitehouse describes these glass eyeballs made by the Blaschkas. When the curators of natural history museums displayed the mounted skins of elephants, lions, tigers and gorillas, they substituted the animals' real eyes with glass eyes made by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, such as the ones on display in the case here. The Blaschkas also supplied larger eyes than these on display for some of the world's largest mammal specimens. In addition, they made glass prosthetic eyes for living humans.

The Museum's displays of European glass tell the story of glass from the Renaissance in the 15th century to 1900. The Venetians were the master glassworkers of the Renaissance. Later, different parts of Europe produced their own distinctive styles.

Listen as glass artist William Gudenrath describes the technique used to make the Verzelini goblet. Venetian glassmakers were hired in England during the 16th century. One of them was Giacomo Verzelini. In 1571, he was brought to London by Jean Carré, a French native and owner of the Crutched Friars Glasshouse. Carré died the following year, and in 1575, Verzelini was placed in charge of the glasshouse. The Crown gave him a 21-year monopoly on the making of Venetian glass in England.

Listen as glass artist William Gudenrath describes the technique used to make the Morgan cup. The rarest and most elaborate luxury vessels of the early Roman Empire are cameo glasses. These objects were inspired by relief-cut gems of banded semiprecious stones, such as onyx. Glassmakers cased (covered) objects of one color with one or more layers of glass of different colors, with opaque white on translucent deep blue being the most popular combination.

Listen as curator David Whitehouse describes a glass bottle with handles. Although glass vessels were never as cheap as earthenware, they had several advantages. They were easy to clean, they did not impart an odor to their contents, and they allowed one to see the contents even when the vessel was sealed. Thanks to glassblowing, the Romans were able to make large vessels for storing liquids and other perishable goods.

Listen as curator David Whitehouse describes the technique of core forming, which was introduced around the middle of the 16th century BC, and was used to fashion some of the first glass vessels. Core forming involves the application of glass to a removable core supported by a rod. There is no consensus about how this was accomplished. Some scholars believe the glassmaker wound trails (strands) of molten glass around the core, or dipped the core into molten glass.

Listen as curator David Whitehouse describes the Morgan cup. The rarest and most elaborate luxury vessels of the early Roman Empire are cameo glasses. These objects were inspired by relief-cut gems of banded semiprecious stones, such as onyx. Glassmakers cased (covered) objects of one color with one or more layers of glass of different colors, with opaque white on translucent deep blue being the most popular combination. The layered "blank" was given to a lapidary for carving, cutting, and polishing.

Listen as glass artist William Gudenrath describes the technique of making a glass bottle with handles. Although glass vessels were never as cheap as earthenware, they had several advantages. They were easy to clean, they did not impart an odor to their contents, and they allowed one to see the contents even when the vessel was sealed. Thanks to glassblowing, the Romans were able to make large vessels for storing liquids and other perishable goods.