Glass of the Maharajas

I've never really been into glass but this exhibition I would love to see. The Corning Museum of Glass in New York brings you Glass of the Maharajas (May 19 - Nov. 30, 2006). The exhibition showcases a little-known chapter of design history when European glass manufacturers fashioned dazzling furniture out of glass for the Indian royalty.

The Museum brochure says that "The very idea that a chair could glitter like a diamond, catch light like a colored gemstone, and still function as seating must have astounded those who first encountered glass furniture in the mid- to late-19th century. Visitors to "Glass of the Maharajahs" will experience that same sense of bedazzlement."

Among the highlights of the exhibition is a unique 11-foot-tall mirrored and intricately faceted glass wall cabinet, on public view in the United States for the first time. Also featured are massive chandeliers, side tables, chairs, a towering candelabrum, and even a crystal and horsehair fly whisk.