History in Glass: 3000 Years of Glassware from the Mediterranean and West Asia

The National Museum of Korea presents the last special exhibition of 2012, History in Glass: 3000 Years of Glassware from the Mediterranean and West Asia from November 27, 2012 to February 17, 2013 in the Special Exhibition Gallery in the Permanent Exhibition Hall, 1F.

 

This special exhibition explores the history of glassware production in its place of origin in the Mediterranean and West Asia region, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Roman Empire, and was organized to reinvestigate human wisdom and its dissemination through glass from the perspective of cultural history.

 

A total of 375 artworks are on view, from the collection of the Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum in Japan. Located in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, the museum houses a collection of over 9000 sculptures and craft objects from the Silk Road region, the highlights of which are the Gandharan Buddhist sculptures and ancient glass works. The special exhibition brings together the early glassware from Mesopotamia and the eastern Mediterranean region, which constitute the finest items in the Silk Road Museum's glass collection, and is supplemented with glass items from the ancient Roman Empire. The exhibits include glass items produced from the 15th century BCE to the 15th century CE.

 

The exhibition, divided into three main parts, features a wide variety of glass items arranged according to major production techniques. The glass blowing technique was developed around the 1st century BCE, marking a turning point in the history of glass production. Taking this as the dividing line, the first part of the exhibition examines early ancient glass before the invention of the glass-blowing pipe and the second part deals with glassworks made with the blowing technique. The third part of the exhibition focuses on the development and transmission of the Sassanid and Islamic glass traditions, which formed the background to the new production technique.

 

Today, glass objects are practical items which are so integral to our daily lives that we rarely take the time to consider the extraordinary history and material essence of glass. As one would learn and see in this exhibition, glass has been a part of human history for more than 4000 years now, and the nature and uses of glass have changed often through the ages. Since the ancient glass works of the Mediterranean and West Asian region have never been introduced extensively in Korea yet, this exhibition would be a unique opportunity to explore the birth and spread of glass and nature of change in glass production.

 

General information

■ Visiting hours

 

Monday	Tuesday, Thursday & Friday	Wednesday & Saturday	Sunday & Holidays
Closed * Except Holiday Mondays	9:00 am - 6:00 pm	9:00 am - 9:00 pm	9:00 am - 7:00 pm

* The museum is closed on January 1 & February 12.

 

■ Guided tours

 

Tuesday through Friday	11:00, 14:00
Saturday	11:00, 13:00, 14:00
Sunday	11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00

 

■ Gallery talk

 

 

Date		Time	Meeting point
November	28	19:30	Special Exhibition Gallery
December	5	18:30
	12	18:30
	19	18:30
	26	18:30
January	2	-
	9	19:30
	16	-
	23	18:30
	30	19:30
February	6	to be noticed
	13	to be noticed

 

■ Educational programs 

 

Programs	Contact number	Date / Time	Audience
Lecture	02-2077-9295	January 23 & February 13, 2013 Wednesday 14:00~16:00	Adults
Hands-on activity	02-2077-9307	December 22, 2012, January 26 & February 26, 2013 Saturday 10:00~12:00, 14:00~16:00   January 22, 2013~ February 13, 2013 Tuesdays, Thursdays 14:00~16:00	Family (1-day-course)
		January 23, 2013~February 13, 2013 Wednesdays 18:00~21:00	Adults (4-week-course)

 

■ Admission : free

■ Photography : The use of flash and tripods is prohibited

■ Exhibition catalog : features 375 objects, 272 pages (28,000KRW)