Antonio Neri (29 February 1576, Florence – 1614) was a Florentine priest who published the book L’Arte Vetraria or The Art of Glass in 1612. This book was the first general treatise on the systematics of glassmaking. Early life and education Neri's father was a physician. Neri entered the priesthood in 1601. He 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. Bertolini was a member of the Medici royal family, and his household in Florence was known as Casino di San Marco. Various glassmakers visited the Bartolini household from time-to-time, giving Neri ample opportunity to learn glassmaking and to eventually develop improved formulations.: 26 In one account, he is known as Antonio Lodovico Neri.: 32  Career Prior to Neri's time, glassmaking was part of the field of alchemy, and Neri had...