The history of glass and glassmaking is shown here through 400 works from ancient times to those created using the latest technology. Glass is the guiding motif of a journey through time, space, and the various cultures that have interpreted and used this material over the centuries. The volume gathers together both rarities and masterpieces of glass art from important public and private collections of antique, modern and contemporary glass, including works by Dale Chihuly and Sandy Skoglund. It studies in greater depth some themes which have emerged over the centuries: symbol and myth, nature and ten thematic rooms: from the Room of Water to the Room of Nature, the Room of Play to the Room of Geometry, the Room of Fragments to the Room of the Orient, the Room of the Body to the Room of the Sacred and Profane, and from the Room of Everyday Life to the Room of the Fantastic. The volume is completed by the Techniques and Materials Section, which follows the various steps in the glassmaking process,from the raw materials to the latest generation of technological glass products and ends by examining the relationship between glass and ecology.