Bontemps on Glass Making: the Guide du Verrier of Georges Bontemps The fifth in a series on how the understanding of glassmaking advanced over the course of three centuries from the early 1600s to around 1870. Georges Bontemps (1799-1884) was probably the most skilful and adventurous European glass works manager of his age. His life began inauspiciously because he was illegitimate and ignored by his father, a graduate of the cole polytechnique and army officer. In 1817 Georges was refused entry to the cole polytechnique, despite having done well in the entry examination. Bontemp then became assistant to Dartigues, owner of three separate works making lead crystal, and was soon managing the glass making at Baccarat. By 1822 he was directing the glass works at Choisy-le-Roi which was unusual in making several kinds of glass including window glass, lead crystal, domestic wares such as drinking glasses, stained glass windows, and optical glass. At Choisy-le-Roi he was responsible for several major advances. He remained there until 1848 when he moved to England to work for Chance Brothers in Smethwick for six years before returning to France. His Guide du Verrier, published in 1868, is the most detailed known authoritative description of the glass making practices of his time. Its seven sections describe the techniques of glass melting and making window glass, plate glass, bottles, lead crystal, optical glass, and stained glass windows. Bontemps had firsthand experience of all of these except making cast plate. Dozens of batch recipes are given, especially of coloured glasses. The book is copiously illustrated. One of its unique features is an analysis of the economics of the process at the end of each section.

THIS is the first of a series of volumes edited by Professor M. Cable illustrating progress in understanding glass making from the 17th century to the early part of the 19th. Known as THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BOOK ON GLASSMAKING, it was first published, in Italian, in 1612, as L'Arte Vetraria by Antonio Neri who claimed to have experience of glassmaking in several countries and described the best practice of that time, particularly in making coloured glasses. A second edition printed in 1661 made the work more widely known. An English translation by Christopher Merrett MD, one of the early Fellows of the Royal Society, was published in 1662. Merrett added very extensive notes of his own which almost doubled the length of the book. That text became the master for subsequent editions. It was eventually translated into Latin, French, German, and Spanish, and reprinted at least twenty times over the course of almost two centuries. This edition reproduces Merrett's original layout, including the printers ornaments, but is set more legibly and corrects some errors. It is introduced by an essay written in 1962 by Professor W. E. S. Turner FRS which explains the background and importance of this work.