Medievel Glass at Corning Museum of Glass Assignment

Medievel Glass at Corning Museum of Glass - Assignment Example. People who do not normally see nut as an artwork will be surprised to know that a museum of chalk exists. The medieval icing collection of the Corning Museum of Glass (CMG, 2012a) displays a wide range of a function of glass objects that had decorative and functional purposes during medieval times. After conducting a virtual visit of this museums mediaeval Glass for Popes, Princes and Peasants, this writer realized how much glass commode depict cultural and sociable beliefs, divisions, and struggles. Glass signifies cultural values and social divisions because its transformation across time depicts social stratification and social transformation.Medieval glass begins somewhere, and its humble beginnings reflect the practical needs and social concerns of its users. A 425-dated olive green glass, a Byzantine Cone Beaker, demonstrates a simple devise that reflects its functional purpose (see Figure 1). After the Roma n Empire disintegrated, tastes in glass varied. In locations where the Franks lived, simpler shapes and decorative styles were the norm. This Byzantine Cone Beaker is designed for convenience, which suggests how this glass expresses the practical(a) needs of its users. Glass art can be used as a medium of learning of another time and goal (Diffey, 1997, p.27). One can only imagine the working-class drinking their wine in pubs or homes and relaxing enough to forget their troubles. This glass stands for the practical demands of people making a living for survival. Nothing is simple with this simple glass. It is simple because life is hard. Figure 1 A Byzantine Cone Beaker, dating 425-599 Source Corning Museum of Glass (2012b) The a la mode(p) example of medieval glass in the exhibit is impressive because of its intricate design that depicts strong social changes and inequalities. A Baroque Ewer (see figure 2), a colorless glass with green tinge and numerous bubbles in color combinat ions, suggests aesthetic beauty and creativity. The top of the handle has a thumb rest, which is an innovation (CMG, 2012b). It signifies the ever-changing society that demands creativity in its products. Moreover, this ewer has evolved a great deal from initial glass designs because it is multi-colored and intricately formed. Even when these things have simple functions, people starve for more beauty in their everyday objects. This beauty essentially represents their social identity. Their demand for more beautiful things in their lives connotes their need for asserting their social importance. Bourdieu dialogue about social and economic capital that reinforces social inequality (Dillon, 2010). Only the rich can afford this ewer, and design that is important to them becomes something coveted, and yet to the masses it is unimportant. Nevertheless, glass becomes a unique differentiating tool of their social status. Figure 2 A Baroque Ewer, dating 1550-1600 Source Corning Museum of Glass (2012b) Glass objects represent a groups social status and identities. For instance, figure 3 shows a Behaim Beaker that might have been specifically made for a rich merchants daughters matrimony. The wedding took place on July 7, 1495 it was the nuptial of Michael Behaim and Katerina Lochnerin, the daughter of a rich merchant, whose company monopolized the trade between Nuremberg and Venice (CMG, 2012b). This object shows that even the simplest things say something about the owner and his/her culture and society. The name Behaim Beaker belongs to a prominent family and its drawings of saints, birds, and helmets signify power. These are objects that help conceive self-identity with images that shape an individual self-concept (Freedman, 2003, p.2). It demonstrates power and majesty in