Inês Coutinho, Márcia Vilarigues, Teresa Medici (eds),ANNALES du 22e CONGRÈS de l’ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE pour l’HISTOIRE du VERRE, Caparica (Virtuel), 13–17 septembre 2021, 2024
Protection of glass collections in museums includes many different issues. The chemical instabili... more Protection of glass collections in museums includes many different issues. The chemical instability of glass constitutes one of the most difficult problems. A scheme of preventive conservation strategy for collections is presented, with special emphasis on the identification of glass susceptible to crizzling. The strategy allows us to identify such glass before symptoms of irreversible deterioration appear. As a consequence, it is possible to undertake certain preventive conservatory activities. The strategy has already been applied and is presented hereunder regarding Central European 18th century tableware. However, a further long-term collaboration of many museums and scientific institutions is required in order to conduct an interdisciplinary project and cover other technological groups of glass.
Natural radioactive components of historical glasses and two methods of the respective measuremen... more Natural radioactive components of historical glasses and two methods of the respective measurement of the radioactivity are discussed. The evaluation of radioactivity of glass objects using a Geiger-Muller counter and high-resolution gamma ray spectrometry is presented. A survey of the Warsaw National Museum glass collection with a Geiger-Muller counter allowed distinguishing the vessels made of potassium and sodium glass by their level of natural radioactivity. Gamma spectrometry, on the other hand, enables estimating a specific radionuclide content. Special attention is given to uranium glasses. One 19th century Bohemian vessel, coloured with a uranium compound, was carefully examined using gamma spectrometry. K 2 O and U content were estimated to be 16.2 and 0.33 %, respectively.
Preliminary results of surveys of 18th century central European colourless tableware have been re... more Preliminary results of surveys of 18th century central European colourless tableware have been reported. The survey included an energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis and a visual inspection of the glass items’ surfaces. The relation between the glass technology applied and the glass susceptibility to crizzling are discussed, with reference to the crystal glass technology used in the central Europe. Special emphasis is made on the As and Ca contents as well as on the significance of the As/Ca ratio. Crizzling is a phenomenon described by numerous authors and has been known under this name since the 17th century at least, when Christopher Merret gave the first known description. In the literature, a phase called ‘incipient crizzling’ is sometimes also mentioned. (1) The crizzling is often considered as one of the characteristic symptoms of so called ‘glass disease’ or ‘sick glass’, beside that of the ‘weeping’, which is another well known symptom. That phenomenon has been thor...
Inês Coutinho, Márcia Vilarigues, Teresa Medici (eds),ANNALES du 22e CONGRÈS de l’ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONALE pour l’HISTOIRE du VERRE, Caparica (Virtuel), 13–17 septembre 2021, 2024
Protection of glass collections in museums includes many different issues. The chemical instabili... more Protection of glass collections in museums includes many different issues. The chemical instability of glass constitutes one of the most difficult problems. A scheme of preventive conservation strategy for collections is presented, with special emphasis on the identification of glass susceptible to crizzling. The strategy allows us to identify such glass before symptoms of irreversible deterioration appear. As a consequence, it is possible to undertake certain preventive conservatory activities. The strategy has already been applied and is presented hereunder regarding Central European 18th century tableware. However, a further long-term collaboration of many museums and scientific institutions is required in order to conduct an interdisciplinary project and cover other technological groups of glass.
Natural radioactive components of historical glasses and two methods of the respective measuremen... more Natural radioactive components of historical glasses and two methods of the respective measurement of the radioactivity are discussed. The evaluation of radioactivity of glass objects using a Geiger-Muller counter and high-resolution gamma ray spectrometry is presented. A survey of the Warsaw National Museum glass collection with a Geiger-Muller counter allowed distinguishing the vessels made of potassium and sodium glass by their level of natural radioactivity. Gamma spectrometry, on the other hand, enables estimating a specific radionuclide content. Special attention is given to uranium glasses. One 19th century Bohemian vessel, coloured with a uranium compound, was carefully examined using gamma spectrometry. K 2 O and U content were estimated to be 16.2 and 0.33 %, respectively.
Preliminary results of surveys of 18th century central European colourless tableware have been re... more Preliminary results of surveys of 18th century central European colourless tableware have been reported. The survey included an energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis and a visual inspection of the glass items’ surfaces. The relation between the glass technology applied and the glass susceptibility to crizzling are discussed, with reference to the crystal glass technology used in the central Europe. Special emphasis is made on the As and Ca contents as well as on the significance of the As/Ca ratio. Crizzling is a phenomenon described by numerous authors and has been known under this name since the 17th century at least, when Christopher Merret gave the first known description. In the literature, a phase called ‘incipient crizzling’ is sometimes also mentioned. (1) The crizzling is often considered as one of the characteristic symptoms of so called ‘glass disease’ or ‘sick glass’, beside that of the ‘weeping’, which is another well known symptom. That phenomenon has been thor...
Warszawa: Instytut Chemii i Techniki Jądrowej, 2020
Książa ta jest próbą przedstawienia głównych zmian występujących w składzie chemicznym szkła w Eu... more Książa ta jest próbą przedstawienia głównych zmian występujących w składzie chemicznym szkła w Europie Środkowej od późnego średniowiecza do XVIII wieku i wskazania ich potencjalnych przyczyn. Zmiany technologiczne, przede wszystkim dobór i sposoby przygotowania surowców oraz ewolucja zestawu szklarskiego, są rozpatrywane jako zasadnicze źródła zróżnicowań składu. W książce obszernie omówiono źródła pisane zawierające informacje o stosowanych surowcach i zestawach szklarskich. Surowce scharakteryzowano pod względem chemicznym, źródeł pochodzenia, technologii wytwarzania i roli, jaką pełnią w procesach wytwarzania szkła. Wybrane składniki szkła omówiono, wskazując ich możliwe pochodzenie i charakterystyczne zakresy zawartości. Analiza składu chemicznego szkła oraz omówienie wybranych metod analitycznych stanowią odrębną część książki. Osobno omówiono podstawy typologii szkła, stosowane terminy i znaczniki używane przez różnych badaczy. W dalszej części monografii przedstawiono zmiany składu szkła na przestrzeni wieków, ich przyczyny i uwarunkowania. W porządku chronologicznym omówiono późnośredniowieczne i wczesnonowożytne szkło, a następnie skupiono się na innowacjach z końca XVII wieku i dalszych osiągnięciach technologicznych XVIII wieku, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem kryształowego i kredowego szkła barokowych kielichów. Podsumowując stan badań na temat szkła środkowoeuropejskiego omawianego okresu, podkreślono najważniejsze luki w nim występujące i wskazano dalsze możliwe kierunki prowadzenia badań materiałowych prezentowanych zabytków.
The goal of this work is to show the main chronological and geographical variations in the chemical composition of Central European glass, and the possible causes. These causes are identified primarily in the technologies used, especially the raw materials, the methods of their preparation and the nature of the manufacturing batches. The book begins with a characterization of the raw materials and a presentation of those written sources that contain information about their types, origins and methods of preparation. The raw materials are characterized in terms of their chemistry, sources, manufacturing technology, methods of purification and their role in glass melting processes. The next section covers glass analysis as well as the chemical categorization of glass, the terminology, and the most important markers used by scholars. These typological considerations are accompanied by a characterization of the most important chemical components of glass, together with an indication of their possible sources and characteristic ranges. The second part of the book outlines the evolution of glass composition through the centuries, with an explanation of the various local differences that can be observed. Following a discussion of late medieval and early post-medieval glass, the focus moves to late 17th-century innovations and on to further developments of the 18th century, with special emphasis on the crystal and white glasses used in the production of Baroque goblets. The main gaps in our understanding of Central European glass from the period as well as further possible directions of research are also briefly outlined.
Glass from the glasshouse ‘Huta Kryształowa’ near Lubaczów in context: technology, attribution an... more Glass from the glasshouse ‘Huta Kryształowa’ near Lubaczów in context: technology, attribution and dating of baroque glass from Central Europe.
During the 18th century the high quality colourless glass produced by the glasshouse ‘Huta Kryształowa’ near Lubaczów in south east Poland was highly valued. The glasshouse produced some of the most outstanding tablewares and other products made in Poland at the time. This study examines the development and affinities of ‘Huta Kryształowa’ glass. Its situation within the evolution of the distinctive potassium-rich Central European glass technology between the 16th-18th centuries, and its relationship to the products of other Central European glasshouses, is made possible through over a thousand EDXRF measurements and almost 200 new chemical analyses conducted by the authors. This unique dataset allows us to understand the profound technological changes in glassmaking that occurred in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and the effects they had upon production at ‘Huta Kryształowa’.
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The goal of this work is to show the main chronological and geographical variations in the chemical composition of Central European glass, and the possible causes. These causes are identified primarily in the technologies used, especially the raw materials, the methods of their preparation and the nature of the manufacturing batches. The book begins with a characterization of the raw materials and a presentation of those written sources that contain information about their types, origins and methods of preparation. The raw materials are characterized in terms of their chemistry, sources, manufacturing technology, methods of purification and their role in glass melting processes. The next section covers glass analysis as well as the chemical categorization of glass, the terminology, and the most important markers used by scholars. These typological considerations are accompanied by a characterization of the most important chemical components of glass, together with an indication of their possible sources and characteristic ranges. The second part of the book outlines the evolution of glass composition through the centuries, with an explanation of the various local differences that can be observed. Following a discussion of late medieval and early post-medieval glass, the focus moves to late 17th-century innovations and on to further developments of the 18th century, with special emphasis on the crystal and white glasses used in the production of Baroque goblets. The main gaps in our understanding of Central European glass from the period as well as further possible directions of research are also briefly outlined.
During the 18th century the high quality colourless glass produced by the glasshouse ‘Huta Kryształowa’ near Lubaczów in south east Poland was highly valued. The glasshouse produced some of the most outstanding tablewares and other products made in Poland at the time. This study examines the development and affinities of ‘Huta Kryształowa’ glass. Its situation within the evolution of the distinctive potassium-rich Central European glass technology between the 16th-18th centuries, and its relationship to the products of other Central European glasshouses, is made possible through over a thousand EDXRF measurements and almost 200 new chemical analyses conducted by the authors. This unique dataset allows us to understand the profound technological changes in glassmaking that occurred in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and the effects they had upon production at ‘Huta Kryształowa’.