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. In one account, he is known as Antonio Lodovico Neri. Career Prior to Neri's time, glassmaking was part of the field of alchemy, and Neri had a background in alchemy. Through his efforts and those of glassmaking contemporaries of Neri, glassmaking began to evolve into a systematic scientific endeavor. An example is that Neri recognized that the red color in the red glass called "crocus martis" is due to oxidized iron. Neri traveled extensively in Italy, Antwerp, and Holland. Much of his time in Antwerp was spent with chemist Sir Emmanuel Ximenes from whom Neri learned much of the basic chemistry of glassmaking. Neri also worked in the glasshouses belonging to the Medici family in Florence and in Pisa. These experiences significantly deepened his knowledge of glassmaking and its underlying chemistry. Neri's other endeavors included herbalism and alchemy, in addition to glassmaking. Much of what is known about Neri's life are based on correspondence between Neri and Ximenes in addition to research conducted by Muranese glass historian Luigi Zecchin during the 1960s. An annotated bibliography of written works by Neri has been published. Much of the correspondence between Neri and Ximenes is preserved at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. Systematics of Glassmaking Between 1598 and 1600, Neri published his first compilation on glassmaking, Il Tesoro del Mondo, which included some basic information on equipment and raw materials for glassmaking. He was at the same time conducting his own experimentation on glassmaking in the household of his Medici family patron in Florence. Following the publication of Il Tesoro del Mondo, Neri began his travels to Antwerp and Pisa, during which time he interacted more frequently with Ximenes. He returned