Magic Rock Crystal

Rock crystal as material, mineral, symbol, and ornament.

Harder than glass, but softer than diamonds, rock crystal has sparked countless legends concerning its origins and strengths. For a long time, people assumed that this variety of quartz was water that had been solidified to form eternal ice. Since antiquity, rock crystal has been used as a remedy, for fortune-telling, in churches, and at courtly banquets. Artisans used it to create objects with a divine aura. This book assembles breathtaking artworks from antiquity to the Middle Ages, including vessels, crosses, chess pieces, amulets, and magnifying glasses. Contributors draw on a range of fields--art, mineralogy, archaeology, philology, and optics--to explore rock crystal's many angles.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 377744054X
• ISBN13: 9783777440545
• Release Date: March 2023
• Publisher: Hirmer Verlag GmbH
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 5.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 9.7" x 11.3"