In the mid-19th century, the invention of new industrial processes,
the rise of a middle class, the introduction of department stores, and the
presentation of World’s Fairs sparked a desire to improve the design of decorative
arts. Photography was enlisted in that endeavor. This photograph of late 16^th
or 17th-century Venetian glassware was part of a series meant
to provide models for local craftsmen. With sunlight sparkling on the complex
shapes of blown glass, this image easily accomplished what Old Master painters
struggled to depict: form described by nothing more than the reflection and refraction
of light.