11 Facts About Antonio Neri

Antonio Neri was a Florentine priest who published the book L'Arte Vetraria or The Art of Glass in 1612.

Antonio Neri then became a member of the household of Alamanno Bertolini where he met the chemist Sir Emmanuel Ximenes, who introduced Neri to the fundamentals of glassmaking.

An example is that Antonio Neri recognized that the red color in the red glass called "crocus martis" is due to oxidized iron.

Much of his time in Antwerp was spent with chemist Sir Emmanuel Ximenes from whom Antonio Neri learned much of the basic chemistry of glassmaking.

Antonio Neri worked in the glasshouses belonging to the Medici family in Florence and in Pisa.

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Much of what is known about Antonio Neri's life are based on correspondence between Antonio Neri and Ximenes in addition to research conducted by Muranese glass historian Luigi Zecchin during the 1960s.

Between 1598 and 1600, Antonio Neri published his first compilation on glassmaking, Il Tesoro del Mondo, which included some basic information on equipment and raw materials for glassmaking.

Antonio Neri was at the same time conducting his own experimentation on glassmaking in the household of his Medici family patron in Florence.

Antonio Neri returned to Florence in 1611, publishing L'Arte Vetraria the following year.

In 1612, Antonio Neri published a seven volume treatise, L' Arte Vetraria, that was a significant step toward systematizing the preparation of glass.

The treatise includes many glass formulations that were devised by Antonio Neri by improving on formulations that he became aware of through his work in the Medici court, through his interactions with Ximenez, and likely other sources.