GLASS NEWS

Glass Making in the Greco-Roman
World: Results of the Archglass Project
(Studies in Archaeological Sciences 4)

Edited by Patrick Degryse

Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Leuven University Press 2014
Language: English
ISBN: 978-9462700079
RRP: £21

Recently published by National Museums Scotland, New insights into the trade and processing of mineral raw
Dominic   Ingemark’s   book   on   Glass, alcohol and power materials for glass making - Free ebook at OAPEN
in Roman Iron Age Scotland catalogues and discusses all Library (www.oapen.org).
the Roman glass from over 70 non-Roman sites north of
Hadrian’s   Wall.   This   is   a   key   source   material   for   This book presents a reconstruction of the Hellenistic-
studying the impact of Rome on Iron Age Scotland, but Roman glass industry from the point of view of raw
has never been properly studied. These often-overlooked material procurement. Within the ERC funded
sherds are shown to be parts of sought-after and valuable ARCHGLASS project, the authors of this work
items, with a clear selection in favour of desirable items developed new geochemical techniques to provenance
such as painted cylindrical cups. primary glassmaking. They investigated both production
and consumer sites of glass, and identified suitable
The research sheds fresh light on aspects of Roman- mineral resources for glassmaking through geological
native relations, most importantly the exchange of goods prospecting. Because the source of the raw materials used
and ideas, and considers the problem of whether these in the manufacturing of natron glass can be determined,
finds represent loot or plunder, or were the outcome of new insights in the trade of this material are revealed.
some peaceful enterprise such as trade, exchange or While eastern Mediterranean glass factories were active
present giving. The evidence points strongly to more throughout the Hellenistic to early Islamic period,
peaceful processes, and leads to new insights on the western Mediterranean and Italian sources also supplied
intentions behind such exchanges. The sherds represent a the Mediterranean world with raw glass in early Roman
range of vessels which were used for serving and times. By combining archaeological and scientific data,
drinking wine in a Roman context, reflecting a the authors develop new interdisciplinary techniques for
knowledge of Roman drinking customs among Iron Age an innovative archaeological interpretation of glass trade
elites. It is argued that these elites maintained their power in the Hellenistic-Roman world, highlighting the
not just by possession of such objects, but also by their development of glass as an economic material.
restricted knowledge of these aspects of foreign culture.
In short this study deals with glass, alcohol and power. Contributors:
Sara Boyen (KU Leuven), Dieter Brems (KU Leuven),
Members of the AHG can buy Glass, alcohol and power Florence Cattin (KU Leuven), Mike Carremans (KU
at the special price of £25.00 plus £5.00 p/p – when Leuven), Veerle Devulder (KU Leuven), Thomas Fenn
ordered by phoning the publisher on 0131 247 4026 with (KU Leuven), Monica Ganio (KU Leuven), Rebecca
credit card details or emailing [email protected]. The Scott (KU Leuven), Frank Vanhaecke (Ghent University)
offer is not available online or in the National Museum of
Scotland shop. Quote the code GAAP2014 when 15
ordering to receive the discount. If you are local/visiting
and can pick the book up from the publisher (in
Chambers Street, Edinburgh) you will pay just £25.00.
(Please contact us in advance if you'd like to do this.)
Offer ends March 31st 2015.

Glass News 37 January 2015

BOOK REVIEW Please send your contributions:
Finds  •  Research  •  Ideas  •  Enquiries
Glass of Volga Bulgaria Publications  •  Conferences  •  News

(Based on finds from Bilyar excavation) for Glass News 38
S.I. Valiulina
by 1st June 2015
Publisher: Kazan University Press, Kazan 2005
Language: Russian to either of the editors:
279 pages + 48 colour plates
ISBN 5-98180-255-3 Andrew Meek
Department of Conservation and Scientific
There is a world of glass out there about which many of
us know very little, simply because we do not speak the Research
local language. I was fortunate to meet the author of this The British Museum
book, Svetlana Valiulina, in the poster session at the Great Russell Street
Archaeometry Symposium in Los Angeles in 2014, and
even more fortunate that she was accompanied by her London
granddaughter, who could translate for us. From our short WC1B 3DG
conversation, from the plates and tables of analyses in the [email protected]
book and a fairly substantial 11-page English summary, I
now have some limited awareness of the glass from this or
important region.
Rachel Tyson
Volga Bulgaria was a medieval state in the region of [email protected]
modern European Russia which converted to Islam in the
tenth century. Situated on the Volga River, it was an Contact us
important centre of trade. Bilyar, the source of the finds
upon which this book is based, became its capital in the Honorary Secretary: Denise Allen, 8  St  Catherine’s  
twelfth century, but was sacked by the Mongols in 1236. Road, Southampton, SO18 1LJ
Email: [email protected]
The wealth of finds reported here cover the full range of
artefact categories that might be expected including If you are not computer-connected and would like
tablewares, lamps, window glass, beads, bangles, further information or to be put into contact with
workshop materials (glass working waste, crucibles, anyone concerning any of the items in Glass News
furnace   refractories,   ‘slag’) and alchemical vessels please write to either of the editors, or the Honorary
(alembics). These are illustrated in colour photographs Secretary.
and line drawings, and the frequency of types of find in
different contexts is indicated in a series of tables. The See the website for updated information:
bulk of the glass comprises soda plant ash glass but www.historyofglass.co.uk
potash-lime-silica and potash-lead-silica types are also
present. There are detailed tables of chemical analysis of
glasses (quantitative, by optical emission spectrography),
results of petrographic examination of refractories and so
on.

This is a key reference to the history of glass in a region
with which most us are unfamiliar. I really do hope that
at some point it is translated so that I can read through the
main body of the text!

Ian Freestone

Glass News 37 January 2015 16

Glass News

July 2015 Published by The Association for the History of Glass Ltd ISSN 1362-5195
www.historyofglass.org.uk

Number 38

TWITTER

The Association now has a Twitter profile! To keep
up-to-date on news and current research on the history
of glass follow: @Ass_Hist_Glass

FACEBOOK

The Association has a Facebook page! To keep up-to-
date on news and current research on the history of
glass visit:
facebook.com/TheAssociationForTheHistoryOfGlass
Click ‘Like’ and please share.

Mould-blown glass from Madinat al-Zahra near Cordoba, REMINDER
dating to the latter half of the 10th century © Chloë Duckworth
MEMBERS AND SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. Would
Welcome to Glass News Issue 38! you like to enjoy all the wonderful Glass News
pictures in colour? If so, please email one of the
This issue is filled to the rafters with news and articles. editors (see back page) and we will also email future
There are reports on Medieval glass from Spain, Roman issues of Glass News to you as a full colour PDF!
glass from Italy and Islamic glass from Israel. News of
exhibitions and gallery openings, along with plenty of THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE
upcoming glass conferences and meetings!
HISTORY OF GLASS
The autumn 2015 meeting of the AHG will be held at the
London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre on Registered charity 275236
the 20th of November. This year’s meeting will continue
the theme begun in 2013 at A Miscellany of Glass and Board of Management
will focus on current research and new finds. For more
information, see page 2. President: Colin Brain
Hon Secretary: Denise Allen
There is an important note on the AHGs finances on page Hon Treasurer: Angela Wardle
8, so please make sure you check that out.
Members of the Board
As ever, thank you to all of our contributors for making
this such a great issue. If you have any news you would Justine Bayley Chloë Duckworth Jennifer Price
like to share with the AHG community, please send it to John Clark Suzanne Higgott Daniela Rosenow
the editors (details on page 16). We look forward to Sally Cottam Caroline Jackson John Shepherd
receiving your contributions for issue 39! Simon Cottle Andrew Meek Rachel Tyson
David Crossley Martine Newby
Glass News 38 July 2015
1

AHG MEETING AND AGM Members wishing to attend the AGM of the
Association only, which will be held on the same
Fragmentary Tales day, may do so free of charge.
A second miscellany of glass
OTHER MEETINGS
Friday 20 November 2015
London Archaeological Archive and Research 30th meeting of AFAV
Centre, Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED
Berck-sur-Mer, France
Please join us for a day of presentations and discussion 2-4 October 2015
about current research and new finds and developments
in the work of ancient and historic glass. We are using The next meeting of l’Association Française pour
this study day to highlight exciting new discoveries and l’Archéologie du Verre (AFAV) will be held in Berck-
to explore recent research into glass; all of which are yet sur-Mer (Pas de Calais) on the 2nd to 4th of October
to be published. Presentations will include material from 2015.
new excavations and research including Kirkstall Abbey
(Yorkshire), Tanner Street and Abacus House (London) The first day of this meeting will be focussed on the glass
and Bedford Roman villa. In the later afternoon there will of the north of France. The next two days provide the
be an opportunity to look at material brought along by opportunity to discuss glass from other areas of France,
delegates and speakers, and ask questions. and elsewhere.

The call for papers is now closed. For more information
and to register for this meeting, visit the AFAV website:
www.afaverre.fr/Afaverre/rencontres/

Roman gladiator cup © Caroline Jackson ICOM-CC Glass and Ceramics Working
Group Interim Meeting
We already have presenters who have kindly offered to
share their new finds with us, but if you would like to Recent Advances in Glass and Ceramics
give a short presentation or bring along any finds or Conservation
photographs, please do contact Caroline Jackson via
email at: [email protected] 25-29 May 2016
Wrocław, Poland
This study day has been designed to appeal to all those
with an interest in ancient and historic glass and to Background
highlight the role of the Association for the History of Conservation is becoming increasingly more international
Glass as a network for dialogue on all aspects of the and interdisciplinary. Conservators, curators, and
subject. scientists are aware of the importance of sharing
knowledge and the value of discussing advanced research
If you would like to attend, please send your full contact to improve conservation practice. Following a sequence
details and a cheque for £24 (members of AHG), of successful meetings, including Nova Gorica (2007),
£34 (non-members) or £12 (students) payable to the Corning (2010), and Amsterdam (2013), the next interim
Association for the History of Glass Ltd to: Denise Allen, meeting of the ICOM-CC Glass and Ceramics Working
8 St Catherine’s Road, Southampton SO18 1LJ, UK. Group will be organised in Wrocław, Poland.
Lunch is not provided, but is available locally.
2
Glass News 38 July 2015

Aims of the conference (siglos XIII-XVI): producción, difusión y aplicaciones),
to present relevant case studies in the conservation funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, and will
of glass and ceramics gather together in Cordoba some of the foremost
to disseminate research results in the field of cultural European specialists on the subject.
heritage
to promote the application of new materials and The Organising Committee is open to the presentation of
technologies for conservation practice as well as papers, which must relate to one of the following four
tools for analysis and documentation key topics:
to identify further research and to provide
networking for future activities Industrial and artistic technologies in various fields
(textile, leather, metal, milling, glass...)
Target audience Recipes and other sources for the study of crafts and
conservators working in museums and in private artistic technologies (localisation, edition, content...)
practice Scientific analysis of artistic and archaeological
scientists specialising in conservation items
students interested in glass and ceramics Experimental reproduction of historical technical
curators and administrators in charge of museum recipes
collections or cultural heritage sites
For more information and to register for this meeting,
Structure and scope please visit the official website:
The three-day conference will include thematic sessions http://www.tke2015.es/
on research in progress and case studies related to glass
and ceramics conservation and scientific investigation. A Final reminders!
limited number of posters will be displayed. Several post-
conference tours will be offered to allow participants to 20th Congress of the International Association
explore glass making as well as museum collections in for the History of Glass
Poland. Following the format of the previous meeting in 7-11 September 2015
Amsterdam, a Student Forum will follow or precede the Fribourg and Romont, Switzerland
conference.
The 20th Congress of the AIHV will be organised by the
Language Vitrocentre and Vitromusée Romont in cooperation with
The conference language will be English. the University of Fribourg. Three parallel sessions of
lectures are planned, along with poster presentations. The
For more information, please visit: programme leaves time for sightseeing, and participants
http://www.asp.wroc.pl/ICOM_ASP/ will also have the opportunity of visiting exhibitions,
specially organised for the congress, in museums in
Technical Knowledge in Europe: From Fribourg and in Romont. Further information and the
Written Texts to Archaeological Evidence preliminary programme can be found on the official
website:
(13th – 16th centuries) http://www.aihv2015.ch/en

University of Cordoba, Spain Society of Glass Technology
17-19 September 2016 Glass Reflections: Glass in the Year of Light
7-9 September 2015
This meeting will review the key historiographical Cambridge, UK
subjects regarding artistic and industrial technology in the
Late Middle Ages and the first century of the Modern The 2015 SGT conference will celebrate the fundamental
Period. One of the meeting’s core targets is to highlight interactions of glass with light – from novel glass
the variety of methods with which the issue can be telecommunication fibres and technologies through
approached, from the study of the written record to
archaeological investigation; and from the examination of 3
technical recipes to the scientific analysis of works of art
and archaeological materials.

The meeting has been organised within the framework of
research project Plan Nacional HAR2012-37357 (El
conocimiento científico y técnico en la Península Ibérica

Glass News 38 July 2015

windows and artistic applications to the use of high We began the first day in London’s beautiful Wallace
intensity light to probe the very structure of glass. The Collection, with Peter Cosyns looking at both trade
conference will have two synchronised parallel sessions. patterns, and the relationship between composition and
Research in Glass Science and in its application to the form in Late Antique Cyprus, to postulate the existence
production and application of glass in the modern world of Cypriot primary workshops. Staying in Cyprus,
forms one of the conference streams. The other stream Andrea Ceglia presented his team’s scientific study of
will focus on the History and Heritage aspects of this glass at the church sites of Maroni, Kalavasos and
material which has captured our imagination, spanning Yeroskipou, showing shifting proportions of Levantine
science and art, archaeology and conservation, vs Egyptian glass at different sites. Moving north to
museology and the importance of raising the public Bulgaria, Anastasia Cholakova demonstrated, amongst
profile of historic glass artefacts. To register for the the 5th- to 6th-century Levantine glass, an indigenous
conference, please visit the official website: Bulgarian production of an attractive blue rimmed glass.
http://www.glassreflections.sgt.org/ Back to the Mediterranean, Kalliopi Nikita presented a
survey of the luxury glass excavated at Eleutherna-Sector
MEETING REVIEW I, Crete. The final talk for the first morning was
Anastasios Antonaras’ fascinating presentation on
Things that travelled – Mediterranean Oversize Glass Gem Insets, predominantly from ancient
Glass in the First Millennium AD Macedonia, raising many questions about their use and
distribution.
28-29 November 2014
Wallace Collection, University College London and After lunch, talks resumed at a gallop with a summary of
Patrick Degryse’s extensive isotopic work on glass, soon
The British Museum to be published as a volume Glass Making in the Greco-
Roman World. Of 400 samples, across the empire,
The conference jointly held by UCL’s EGTRN (Early Patrick’s work implies 65% were Syro-Palestinian, the
Glass Technology Research Network) and the AHG, main glass production region of the Roman world,
covered the huge expanse of time and geography that however, a significant proportion appears to be from as
Mediterranean glass travelled. It was well attended with yet unknown primary production sites, potentially from
over 100 delegates and 25 papers ranging from primary Italy, North Africa and the Western Mediterranean. Ruth
glass workshops in Egypt, to scientific studies of Jackson-Tal showed trade and usage of Roman glass
Mediterranean glass in Libya, Bulgaria, and beyond the within Nabatean sites travelled along prominent trading
frontier of Roman Britain. routes, while at the other side of the Roman world, Mary
Davis demonstrated the presence of Roman glass in early
Pre conference handling session at the British Museum first century sites in Inverness. Yael Gorin-Rosen’s
© Sophie Wolf survey of several decades of work on the location and
nature of primary and secondary glass production in
Glass News 38 July 2015 Israel was extremely comprehensive, moving towards
answering old questions and raising new ones. Matt
Phelps continued the Levantine theme with his and
colleagues’ incredibly interesting glass from Ramla. His
analyses show a dominance of Egyptian glass, despite the
Levantine locale. Susan Walker then introduced her and
Andrew Shortland’s work on the gold-glass in the
Wilshere Collection, with three main compositional
groups according to decolourants, expressing a
chronology in which recycling becomes an important
group.

After a brief recess and change of venue, the first talk at
UCL was given by Ian Freestone, on the increasingly
illusive ‘HIMT’ glass. The theme of HIMT glass
dominated the scientific papers, and Freestone discussed
the variety of production and the idea of market forces as
potentially the driver of this new glass’ success,
highlighting that there are economic reasons why both
producers and consumers would choose HIMT. Next
Chloë Duckworth spoke on her and David Mattingly’s

4

latest work on the glass from the Garamantes site of led the authors to conclude red opaque glass might have a
Jarma in the Libyan Sahara, showing a huge amount of single production centre.
Roman first to second century large jars and plates,
before a shift in the third century to Egyptian exotica. The problem of terminology, particularly in terms of
The final talk of the first day was Margaret O’Hea, on an ‘HIMT’ glass, became a clear focus of the conference,
apparent glass furnace, built in the fashion of a tannour (a with many speakers suggesting abandoning the term, and
type of Middle Eastern bread oven), which prompted the attendant ‘HIT’ and ‘weak HIMT’ altogether.
lively debate. Whatever the case, it is clear that we no longer expect
these glasses to have a single origin, or represent a single
The second day began with three talks on glass excavated production, as this incredible productive conference
from Northern Adriatic Italian sites, notably Aquileia. shown. UCL’s EGTRN and the AHG, as well as all the
Marcante charted the typo-chronology, showing a speakers and poster presenters (too numerous to
different deposition in the living site to the necropolis, summarize), must be commended on a fantastic two days
and that, using glass as a proxy, the AD 452 raids had no and an incredibly successful conference.
apparent economic impact. Sarah Maltoni et al. and
Filomena Gallo et al. both discussed the composition of Victoria Sainsbury
glasses from the region, with particular emphasis on the
relationship between base glass composition and colour, EXHIBITIONS
i.e. 3 HIT blue glasses.
The Waddesdon Bequest
Jim Peake’s Anglo-Saxon beads also highlighted our
increasing problem of terminology of glass types and The British Museum, London
forms, but was a fascinating scientific study on imported Now open
and recycled glass in East Anglia after the Romans. The
topic of recycling was continued by Margherita Ferri and Admission free
colleagues, with the recycling of tesserae at Comacchio
(late 7th century). Line Van Wersch and colleagues The Waddesdon Bequest, the superb collection of
presented a hugely valuable dataset of Merovingian and medieval and Renaissance treasures left to the British
Carolingian church window glass, whose compositions Museum in 1898 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild MP,
also implied potentially recycled Roman glass. St John has been redisplayed in a new gallery.
Simpson then took us back to the Eastern reaches, to the
Sassanid empire, and the importation of glass blanks for The new display will contain some of the most
cut glass vessels and the links between glass and metal impressive objects in the British Museum’s European
objects. collection, and will give fascinating historical insight into
shifts in taste, the growth of the art market, and the
Marie-Dominique Nenna gave an absolutely fantastic development of forgery in response to demand from
keynote talk, charting the history of glass production in collectors in the nineteenth century. In addition, the
Egypt, with particular attention paid to the evidence from redisplay will involve the most ambitious digital
the excavations at Wadi Natron. While the analysis of the treatment of a permanent gallery by the Museum.
material unfortunately didn’t lead to a provenance for
HIMT glass, the exposure of a near complete furnace As a demonstration of power and discernment, the
allows a detailed reconstruction of primary glass making. collection tells the story of the rise of the Rothschilds as a
Daniela Rosenow and Thilo Rehren’s work on Roman new European aristocracy in the 19th century. Until
and Late Antique glass from the Upper Egyptian site of Baron Ferdinand’s death in 1898, it was displayed in a
Armant filled in much of our understanding of glass in specially-created room, The New Smoking Room, at his
Egypt both into this later period, and further south, country retreat, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire,
potentially giving us further information on where HIMT, a National Trust house managed by the Rothschild
HIT and weak HIMT glass are coming from. Foundation. With this new gallery, which reconnects the
Waddesdon Bequest both with Waddesdon Manor and
Next the differential use of green glass was explored by with the history of the British Museum, the collection can
Sally Cottam, in collaboration with Caroline Jackson, be fully understood for the first time in its proper
who had observed that an emerald green colour, while intellectual and historical context.
available at a huge number of workshops, was restricted
to a small number of vessel forms, indicating the choice 5
seems to not be one of material availability. Our last talk
was on several analyses of red opaque glasses, by Monica
Ganio and colleagues, whose close chemical composition

Glass News 38 July 2015

New Contemporary Art and Design Wing

Corning Museum of Glass, USA
Now open

On March 20, The Corning Museum of Glass opened the
doors of its new Contemporary Art and Design Wing, the
largest space in the world devoted to the display and
creation of contemporary art and design in glass. The
$64-million expansion, fully funded by Corning
Incorporated, features a 100,000-square-foot addition,
which includes a 26,000-square-foot gallery space and a
500-seat live glass demonstration facility. The new wing
provides an unprecedented opportunity for visitors to see
the breadth and depth of creativity by artists who have
pushed the boundaries of glass as an artistic material
during the past 25 years.

A case in the Waddesdon Bequest gallery (Room 2a)
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Treasures in the Bequest range from precious amber and
rock crystal, curiosities formed from exotic shells, nuts,
ostrich eggs and a “griffin claw”, microcarvings in
boxwood and masterpieces of glass, ceramic, goldsmiths’
work and Limoges enamel.

www.britishmuseum.org/explore/galleries/themes/room_
2a_waddesdon_bequest.aspx

Fen Landscapes in Glass: New gallery in the Contemporary Art and Design Wing ©
An exhibition of fused glass by Althea Corning Museum of Glass

Braithwaite The building’s five galleries of varying sizes contain
diverse works, which are thematically curated, and the
The Stained Glass Museum, Ely display also extends into the porch – a space that wraps
8 June-31 July 2015 around the entirety of the galleries. Works on view
Admission free include many never-before-seen pieces from the
Museum’s permanent collection, including large-scale
To celebrate the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership’s sculptures, installations, glass “paintings,” and vessels.
(OWLP) OuseFest, taking place 20 July – 2 August 2015, Artists who are well-known for their work in glass are on
The Stained Glass Museum will host a small exhibition display, such as Dale Chihuly, Roni Horn, Karen
LaMonte, Josiah McElheny, Beth Lipman, Liza Lou, and
of Fen landscapes in glass by local Klaus Moje, as are artists less known for their work in
glass artist and illustrator Althea glass like Robert Rauschenberg, Tony Cragg, and Kiki
Braithwaite. The Fenland landscape Smith. A gallery entirely devoted to design in glass from
has provided much inspiration for the past 25 years features works by internationally
local artist Althea Braithwaite, who recognized artists and designers James Carpenter,
says “I have always been fascinated Christophe Côme, Dan Dailey, Studio Job, Tejo Remy,
by the beautifully coloured shadows and Stephen Burks.
which light makes as it shines
through glass and the wide land and
skyscapes of the fens make
excellent subjects for pictures in
glass.”

Glass News 38 July 2015 6

Glasstress Gotika NEWS

9 May-22 November 2015 Favourite glass websites: Roman
Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Venice
There is so much out there on the internet, perhaps too
and Fondazione Berengo, Murano much, of variable content and constantly changing. We’d
like you to send us your favourite websites: which do you
Glasstress Gotika, a joint project of the State Hermitage find most useful? Which museums have the most
Museum in St Petersburg, Russia and Berengo Studio, informative online catalogues? Have you come across
Venice, Italy, is a collateral event of the 56th Venice any obscure gems? Which publications can be
Biennale. Curated by Dr. Dimitri Ozerkov, director of downloaded (free)?
Hermitage 20 / 21 Project for Contemporary Art and of
the Contemporary Art Department in the State Hermitage Please send your suggestions to either of the editors and
Museum and Adriano Berengo of Berengo Studio, we’ll include them in the next issue of Glass News. We
Glasstress Gotika is an exploration of the effect that will cover a different period or topic in each issue;
Gothic and medieval ideas have had on the modern starting with glass of the Roman Empire in the 1st/2nd
conscience and contemporary art. The exhibition century AD.
combines historical medieval glass and objects from the
Hermitage’s collection that have rarely, if ever, been seen Restoration of the stained glass windows
by the public and contemporary art works created in glass of Saint-Chapelle, Paris
by internationally renowned artists who were invited by
the curators to work with the glass masters in the A major restoration campaign of the stained glass
furnaces of Murano. The artists, who are from over 20 windows Sainte-Chapelle by the Centre des Monuments
countries, were asked to respond to the gothic concept in Nationaux (CMN) has recently been completed. The
their creations in glass. Glasstress Gotika will be restoration was finished to mark the 800th anniversary of
exhibited at the historic Palazzo Franchetti on the Grand the birth of King Louis IX, who commissioned the
Canal and in an old glass furnace in Murano, home of the chapel.
permanent exhibition space of the Fondazione Berengo.

© Fondazione Berengo The interior of the Sainte-Chapelle © Didier Plowy -
Centre des monuments nationaux
Glasstress will also present “Life Bank”, a site-specific
project by Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen, who in A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Sainte-Chapelle
collaboration with the Slow Food Movement will was built between 1242 and 1248 by King Louis IX in
transform the old Banca di Venezia at the top floor of the the heart of the palace of the City to house relics of the
Palazzo Franchetti into a “Gothic garden” dedicated to Passion of Christ, including the Crown of Thorns. Its
bio-diversity with a monumental installation featuring stained glass windows form a unique ensemble that
ancient seeds and interactive, multi-sensory spaces. consists of 1113 figurative scenes.
GLASSTRESS will feature over 50 renowned artists
from all over the world who have created works with the The restoration work took seven years to complete and
maestros of Murano, many working in glass for the first involved dismantling the huge windows into small panels
time. In 2016, Glasstress Gotika will be presented in the and cleaning them using manual conservation techniques
State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg in the and laser cleaning. In an attempt to protect the windows
company of Russia’s greatest treasures in glass.
7
http://www.glasstress.org/home

Glass News 38 July 2015

from future deterioration a “skin” of glass has been publication of scholarly works. There are no restrictions
moulded on to the original windows. on who may apply or on the topics of applications, which
will be judged on merit. Multiple applications in different
years will be considered with individual awards up to
£500. See also the AHG website for details
(www.historyofglass.org.uk).

An application form may be downloaded from the
website, or can be obtained from the Honorary Secretary,
Denise Allen. Email: [email protected]

Replacing part of the rose © Didier Plowy - AHG FINANCES
Centre des monuments nationaux
 
Lottery-funded shelter for Rosedale’s At AHG board meetings we always discuss finances. As
Elizabethan glass furnace many of you will know it has been Board policy to
finance AHG grants from our capital reserves and the
The 16th-century glass furnace from Rosedale in North interest that we receive on these reserves. Low interest
Yorkshire has been given a new lease of life at Ryedale rates have meant that most of the money for recent grants
Folk Museum with a new shelter. The furnace was has come from our reserves. We have now reached the
excavated in the 1960s, and later dismantled and rebuilt point where it would be prudent not to reduce our
at the Folk Museum. Following the collapse of the shelter reserves much further. This basically leaves us with two
a few years ago in storms, the Heritage Lottery Fund and unpalatable choices: to spend less by reducing the grants
the Rainford Trust have now funded a new oak-framed we give, or to raise more by putting up subscriptions. In
building with thatched roof to protect it, perhaps similar practice I think we will need to combine these options in
to its original shelter. The glassmakers are thought to some way, perhaps by making the rules for grants a little
have been French Huguenots. Glass fragments excavated tighter and by raising subscriptions. One reason for
with the furnace show that a variety of vessel types were writing this is to alert you that the Board will probably
made there, including decorated drinking vessels, and make a proposal about raising subscriptions for
although greenish in colour, were more durable and discussion at the AGM in the autumn.
clearer than much contemporary forest glass (see Post-
Medieval Archaeology 6, 1972). It is the quality of the The other reason for writing is to seek you views on what
glass that has led to the furnace’s publicity as having should be in this proposal. It largely comes down to
produced ‘bootlegged’ and ‘black-market’ glass, subscription rates. We currently charge significantly less
contravening London glassmaker Verzelini’s monopoly than the other glass-history groups, but the board is
on (façon de Venise) drinking glasses at the time. The reluctant to see a large increase in subscription rates
furnace, and the story behind it, has received recent because we don’t want to exclude students and others on
attention on BBC One’s Secret Britain, and other news lower incomes. The board has considered a number of
articles (e.g. Current Archaeology 304, July 2015; options, for example raising the normal subscription to
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/features/12882815. £15 per year, but having a reduced rate of, say, £13 for
Glass_fragments_throw_light_on_Rosedale_s_dark_histo those who are content to receive their copies of Glass
ry/). For information on the museum and furnace visit: News electronically. This option was preferred to that of
www.ryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk). having a full rate and a student rate, since it was felt that
many students would prefer electronic Glass News
AHG GRANTS anyway. Introducing Gift Aid has been discussed at some
length, but it seems doubtful that the AHG with its
Grants are available from the Association for the History current arrangements would qualify. So taking this route
of Glass, for educational or research activities consistent would not be simple and could also involve significant
with the Association’s charitable aims. These could changes, such as the reduction in member discounts for
include, for example, attendance at a conference to study days. What do you think? You can email me on
present a lecture or poster, a study visit, fieldwork, or [email protected] or write to the Hon Secretary.

Glass News 38 July 2015 Colin Brain,
President AHG

8

AHG Grant Report

Medieval glass furnaces in southern Spain

Chloë N. Duckworth and David J. Govantes Edwards

School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester
[email protected]

Introduction Catalogue of medieval glass furnaces in southern
Spain
The work presented was undertaken for an AHG small
grant awarded in 2013. It was intended to provide a first To date, different excavations have resulted in the
understanding of the archaeological remains of glass discovery of thirteen possible locations of glass
production activities in medieval southern Spain. production remains dated to between the 8th and 15th
Extensive recent commercial (rescue) excavation, centuries in southern Spain (current regions of Andalusia
undertaken due to increased building work in Spain in the and Murcia). Most of these furnaces were found in the
late 1990s and early 2000s, has revealed many instances course of rescue excavations, and have been destroyed or
of glass production remains. Until now, however, nobody are not otherwise available to be visited. They are
has attempted a systematic survey and catalogue of these. reviewed in the following catalogue.
Thanks to this grant we have been able to physically
examine examples of furnaces and production remains
where extant, and to speak with excavators or access
unpublished excavation reports in other cases.

The investigation undertaken as part of the AHG grant Figure 1. Photograph of remains of structure identified
also enabled us to take some samples of material for by the excavators as a glass furnace at Pechina, Almería.
chemical analysis, and to make applications for further Length of portion shown: c. 1.4 m © Chloë Duckworth
sampling. A sample has already been examined using
electron microprobe analysis (with the collaboration of - Bayyana (Pechina, Almería): This furnace was
Edward Faber, University of Nottingham). The sampling excavated in the 1980s in the course of a research-led
was facilitated by the AHG grant; analysis itself was excavation. It was found in connection with ceramic
funded by a separate grant from Fundación Málaga. Our production, domestic and even human remains. It was
first results are presented below. The work of the project dated on the basis of the ceramics to the 8th and 9th
has also been reported in the local press in southern centuries AD. The ‘glass slags’ and other production
Spain, and has led to ongoing collaboration with the remains mentioned in the excavation report could not be
Museo del Vidrio y Cristal de Málaga (The Malaga Glass examined, as their location in the relevant museums
Museum). seems to be problematic. The visual inspection of the
furnace remains in situ did not reveal whether the
As any reader of this brief catalogue will appreciate, in assessment of the remains as corresponding to a glass
spite of our efforts the state of our knowledge remains far workshop are correct. The site is in a semi-abandoned
from extensive and, for various reasons, the function of state (see Figure 1), and the visit was not as clarifying as
most of the high temperature remains which have been had been expected. This is unfortunate indeed given the
suggested as relating to glass production cannot be early dating of the site and the peculiar position of
precisely determined. For this reason our future plan is to Bayyana as a semi-independent, mercantile community
pursue increased collaboration with the excavators
themselves, and we are now in the process of organising 9
a series of workshops designed to raise awareness of the
different types of glass production remains and how they
may be recognised, as well as to open up channels of
communication between excavators and our own research
group. This is particularly important as there remain
many excavations which have not yet been published,
even in the grey literature. These channels of
communication have already been significantly
developed thanks to the contacts we have established
during the course of the work funded by the AHG grant.

Glass News 38 July 2015

with strong connections to other Mediterranean contexts. association with the furnace. The furnace was removed
The furnace is rectangular in shape, with a central and is currently undergoing restoration before relocation
circular area fed by two flues, 2 m long and 1.2 m wide. in its original place. A crucible and other production
The remains are preserved to an approximate height of remains are available for sampling and we have
0.2 m. permission to access them at a later date. The furnace is
circular in shape, and has an external diameter of just
- Sevilla (c/Matahacas): This urban site was found in the under 1 m. Internal diameter is 50-60 cm (no more details
course of a rescue excavation and destroyed thereafter. It are available in the excavation report).
was dated to the 10th-12th centuries AD. The excavators
reported the furnace as one for ‘glass making or glass - Málaga (UE-14): Workshop in urban site found in the
working’, without further precision being possible. This course of rescue excavation and destroyed thereafter.
was confirmed in a personal interview with the director Dated to the 11th century. The remains are rather scant,
of the excavation (Miguel Ángel Tabales). No production consisting of two holes excavated into the ground with a
remains were preserved for sampling. The furnace was channel between them. No production remains were
circular in shape, but the report does not specify found, other than ‘slags’, as confirmed by the director of
dimensions. The furnace is not included in any section the excavation in personal interview. The dimensions of
drawings. the structures are unknown.

- Córdoba (Cercadilla): Workshop in a suburban site - Málaga (c/Cerrojo): Workshop in urban site found in
found in the course of systematic excavation and the course of rescue excavation. Dated to the 13th
destroyed thereafter. It was dated to the 8th-10th century. The remains are of relatively large dimension,
centuries AD. The information contained in the and for this reason the workshop may be considered a
excavation report is very succinct, and little more than its candidate for primary production, as confirmed by the
small size (suggesting its use for ‘glass working’) is director of the excavation in personal interview.
mentioned. Images not available. No record exists Production remains have been sampled and were
regarding preservation of production remains, and the chemically analysed by electron microprobe analysis at
form and dimensions of the furnace are unknown. the University of Nottingham (a brief presentation of first
results is given at the end of this report). More production
- Córdoba (Av. Corregidor): Workshop in suburban site remains will be available for sampling in the future. We
found in the course of rescue excavation and destroyed could not personally inspect the remains as their
thereafter. It was dated to the 10th-11th centuries AD. preservation is currently under discussion, resulting in a
The excavation report is succinct, and little more than legal controversy between several public agencies.
‘use for the production of glass or glazing’ is mentioned. Although one of the ends of the furnace has apparently
Images are not available. Production remains were been lost, it can be inferred that the general shape of the
preserved, however, and we have applied for permission plan was sub-rectangular, with an apsidal end separated
to sample and analyse these. The form and dimensions of from the rest of the structure by a low wall. The extant
the furnace are unknown. structures are over 1.5 m in length and just under 1 m in
width.
- Córdoba (Polígono Poniente PB1): Workshop in
suburban site found in the course of rescue excavation - Jaén (c/Fernando IV-c/Hornos): Workshop in urban
and destroyed thereafter. The excavation report is site found in the course of rescue excavation and
imprecise about the chronology and is equally unhelpful destroyed thereafter. Dated to the 13th century.
in other matters; it merely mentions that the furnace was According to the excavation report, the remains
of small size and that it could have been used for metal or corresponded to a small glass furnace. Mention of other,
glass working, and that the latter possibility is more larger, furnaces, is also made, but their use is not
likely. Images not available. No record exists regarding specified. No images are available. The furnace was
the preservation of production remains, but this seems found in association with a large number of vessel glass
unlikely. The form and dimensions of the furnace are fragments, which we hope to be able to sample and
unknown. analyse in future. The form and dimensions of the
furnace are unknown.
- Córdoba (c/Gitanos): Workshop in an urban site found
in the course of rescue excavation. Dated to the 8th-10th - Granada (c/Horno del Vidrio): Workshop in urban
centuries. The excavation report is imprecise, but the site found in the course of rescue excavation and
dimensions of the furnace could be suitable for primary destroyed thereafter. Dated to the 15th-16th centuries
production, although the presence of a crucible may AD. No actual remains of the furnace were found, but a
indicate otherwise. Lead remains were also found in large amount of evidence pointing to glass primary

Glass News 38 July 2015 10

production was attested, including soil stains indicative Figure 2. Left: sampled chunk of raw or recycled green
of high-temperature activity, as confirmed in personal glass from furnace in calle Cerrojo, Málaga
interview with the director of the excavation. The © Chloë Duckworth
production remains include evidence of several stages of
primary production and frits, and a large number of Chemical analysis
finished glass remains of three different styles: Nasrid; We are currently able to report on the results chemical
Castril (early modern); and Venetian. Samples of these analysis of a chunk of raw or recycled green glass from
remains will be chemically analysed by this project once close to the wall of the furnace in calle Cerrojo, Málaga.
permits and funding can be obtained. The name of the The analytical results reveal a plant ash glass with
street (‘Glass Furnace Street’) also supports this general exceptionally high alumina (9.59 % Al2O3) and rather
assessment! high iron (3.00 % Fe2O3) (Table 1). This could have been
the intended composition of the glass, or – given its
- Murcia (c/ Puxmarina): Workshop with five extant reported proximity to the furnace wall – the glass may
furnaces and remains suggestive that there were have been contaminated during production, in which case
originally more. Dated to the 12th century AD. This site its unusual composition could be the reason for its
has been well published in both Spanish and English, and discard. Full publication of these results and their
material from the site has been chemically analysed and contextualisation with those for contemporary finished
published (see list of publications below). The excavators glasses and glazed ceramics from Málaga is currently in
suggest that the site may have been the location of preparation.
primary glass production. We have had some reservations
about this, particularly given its location in the centre of a Relevant publications in English
medina, close to a market. We are currently awaiting Carmona, N., Angeles Villegas, M., Jimenez, P.,
samples of material identified as production remains from Navarro, J. and Garcia-Heras, M. 2009. ‘Islamic glasses
the site, and hope that their examination may help to from al-Andalus: characterisation of materials from a
clarify the issue. Furnace 1 (Horno 1) shows two main Murcian workshop (12th century AD, Spain)’. Journal of
construction phases. In the earliest, the furnace was oval Cultural Heritage 10: 439-45.
in shape, and had a preserved length of over 2 m and a
maximum width of just over 1 m. The central pit had a Córdoba, R. 2014. ‘Technology, craft and industry’. In
breadth of 0.45 m. In the second phase, the furnace was M. Valor and A. Gutiérrez (eds) The Archaeology of
completely rebuilt. It was circular in shape, with an Medieval Spain 1100-1500. Sheffield: Equinox. pp.100-
external diameter of 1.2 m and an internal diameter of 0.8 116.
m. Access to the central pit was through a rectangular
opening 0.55 m wide. Furnace 2 (Horno 2) was Duckworth, C.N., Córdoba de la Llave, R., Faber, E.W.,
rectangular in shape. It was 1.6 m long and 1.4 m wide. Govantes Edwards, D.J. and Henderson, J. 2015.
Furnace 3 (Horno 3) was badly preserved but also had a ‘Electron microprobe analysis of 9th-12th century Islamic
rectangular shape. The preserved length was 1.02 m and glass from Córdoba, Spain’. Archaeometry 57 (1): 27-50.
width was 0.40 m. Furnace 4 (Horno 4) was only
partially preserved, but had a rectangular, apsidal plan. It Frothingham, A.W. (1963) Spanish Glass. London: Faber
was 2.5 m long and 1.3 m wide. The central pit was 0.5 and Faber.
m in breadth. Furnace 5 (Horno 5) was different from the [This book makes many useful citations of historical
rest. It was circular in plan and had a diameter of 0.9 m. references to furnaces of the 15th century and later,
It was divided into two chambers, one of top of the other, particularly in Catalonia.]
separated by a brick grille.
Glick, T.F. (1979) Islamic and Christian Spain in the
- Murcia (plaza de Belluga): This furnace was found Early Middle Ages. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
near the above workshop. It also has a similar Press. [Includes a brief section on glass.]
chronology. It is similar in structure to Furnace 4 in
Puxmarina. A slab of glass was found inside the central 11
pit. This is available for sampling, and steps are being
taken accordingly for future analysis. The excavators
reported the furnace as one used for primary production.
It is rectangular in shape, and is surrounded by a
horseshoe-shaped siege. Overall, the structure is around
4 m long and 2.4 m wide. The central pit is
approximately 0.5 m wide.

Glass News 38 July 2015

Table 1. Results of electron microprobe analysis of sample of glass from the furnace excavated in calle Cerrojo, Málaga.
Results are average of three spot analyses. Analysis conducted in collaboration with Edward Faber at the Microanalysis
Research Facility, University of Nottingham. <mdl = below minimum detection limits of equipment used.

Na2O MgO Al2O3 SiO2 P2O5 SO3 Cl K2O CaO TiO2 V2O5 Cr2O3 MnO FeO
10.75 1.84 9.59 58.30 0.41 0.20 0.25 5.01 4.66 0.41 0.04 <mdl 0.24 3.00
CoO NiO CuO ZnO SrO ZrO2 SnO2 BaO PbO Total
<mdl <mdl 1.43 <mdl As2O5 <mdl 0.03 Ag2O 0.46 Sb2O5 <mdl 1.74 98.34
<mdl <mdl <mdl

A mosaic of colours. Comparing production technologies of Roman and

late-Roman glass tesserae from various sites of north-eastern Italy

Sarah Maltoni

University of Padova, Italy
[email protected]

The present contribution is the second of two papers self- taught archaeologist (Conte et al. 1999). The high
reporting the scientific results presented at ISA 2014 quality of the wall paintings, sculptures and the very
conference thanks to the support of AHG. large quantity of glass mosaic tesserae recovered are
signs of the high status of the villa dated between the 1st
and the 5th century AD; in lack of stratigraphic data, the
tesserae, all found in secondary sites, are dated to the
same time span.

Figure 1: Map of relevant sites © Google Earth The last assemblage comes from Trento, a city located in
the extreme north of inner Italy (Figure 1). The tesserae
In order to investigate and compare different production were excavated below the current cathedral of Santa
technologies employed in the manufacture of Roman and Maria Maggiore, which was built on the remains of a
late-Roman mosaic tesserae from north-eastern Italy, Paleo-Christian basilica (4th century AD) and of pre-
three assemblages, and a total of 98 glass tesserae, were existing Roman baths (1st-3rd century AD). The tesserae,
studied. The first assemblage comes from Aquileia, a probably derived from a disrupted decoration of the
very important north Adriatic harbour of Roman and Roman buildings, were in a secondary site re-employed
Late- Antique times (Figure 1); in particular, the tesserae to fill one of the tanks of the bath. On the basis of
come from the in- situ mosaic of the “Domus delle Bestie stratigraphic data and documentary evidence the tesserae
Ferite” (House of the Wounded Animals), which derives are dated to the 2nd-4th century AD (Guaitoli 2011).
its name from the extraordinary hunting scene
represented on the floor mosaic. This mosaic is dated to Ninety-eight glass mosaic tesserae, representative of all
the second half of the 4th century AD on the basis of the chromatic categories and textural features represented
stratigraphic evidence (Bueno et al. 2012). in the three assemblages, were selected and analysed by
means of a multi-methodological approach.
The second assemblage comes from Pordenone, a small
city located in the inland of north-eastern Italy (Figure 1); The complex structure of glass tesserae, generally
the villa of Torre, from which the samples derive, was composed of a glassy matrix and crystalline phases,
excavated for the first time in the 1950s by the owner of required in fact a various set of analytical techniques in
the area, the Earl of Ragogna, who was an enthusiastic order to guarantee a complete characterisation. After a
preliminary macroscopic observation conducted with a
Glass News 38 July 2015 stereoscopic microscope, all the samples were prepared
in polished sections and analysed with the following
techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS)
for textural examination and qualitative chemical
characterisation of the glassy matrix and the inclusions,
Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) for a precise and
accurate chemical analysis of the glass matrix; X-ray

12

Powder Diffraction (XRPD) for the mineralogical In conclusion the results of the present study, still in
analysis and identification of the main opacifying agents. progress, show that glass tesserae from the inland cities
of Trento and Pordenone are strongly linked to the early
The majority of the tesserae are made with soda-lime- Roman technology in all the chromatic categories,
silica glass with natron as a flux and can be related to the suggesting in both cases an early dating for the tesserae.
Roman glassmaking tradition. In the orange and red On the contrary in the Aquileian mosaic, precisely dated
tesserae a high lead content (up to 30 wt% PbO) was to the second half of the 4th century AD, some new
often detected. techniques and uncommon solutions were identified,
suggesting a prompt reception of the technological
The most common chromophore element is copper, some innovations of the 4th century.
blue and azure tesserae are cobalt-coloured and only a
few are iron coloured. Bueno, M., Mantovani, V., Novello, M., 2012. ‘Lo scavo
della casa delle Bestie Ferite’, In: Bonetto, J., Salvadori,
The majority of the samples are opaque or semi-opaque, M. (Eds.), L’architettura Privata ad Aquileia in Età
due to the presence of opacifying crystals. In the three Romana, Atti del Convegno di Studio (Padova, 21-22
assemblages here investigated, all the cobalt-coloured Febbraio 2011). Padova University Press, Padova, pp.
blue, the white and the grey tesserae are opacified with 77–100.
Ca-antimonates; the orange and red are coloured and
opacified by means of cuprite crystals and metallic Conte, A., Salvadori, M., Tirone, C., 1999. La villa
copper nanoparticles, respectively. romana di Torre di Pordenone. Tracce della residenza di
un ricco dominus nella Cisalpina Orientale. Quasar,
Some technological differences were identified among Roma.
the tesserae of the chromatic macro-groups yellow, green
and turquoise: Pb- antimonates are the main opacifying Guaitoli, M., 2011. ‘Il progetto di Santa Maria Maggiore
phases in the yellow and green samples from Trento and (Trento). Relazione preliminare: dallo scavo alla
Pordenone, while in Aquileia Pb- stannate is also present. diffusione dei dati’. FOLD&R FastiOnLine Doc. Res. 1–
Some turquoise tesserae from Aquileia and a single case 18.
from Pordenone are partly opacified with abundant gas
bubbles and relics of quartz.

Grant report: Researching the Early Islamic Glass Industry

Matt Phelps

Institute of Archaeology, University College London,
31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY
[email protected]

Israel and Egypt were major players in the natron glass Authority (IAA), and secondly, in order to present my
industry, at various times both supplying the glass for the current findings to the IAA Glass Committee. This visit
Roman and Byzantine empires. However, the status quo followed an extremely successful sample collection trip
was dramatically interrupted in the 7th century by the early in 2013, also part funded by the AHG, which
Islamic conquests, but how this change affected the glass provided almost 100 samples. The subsequent data
industry is not fully understood. Questions on produced during analysis has already enlightened us on a
technological and organisational change remain. In number of major changes in the glass industry producing
particular, when did plant ash replace natron as the promising conclusions. The results of which were
primary flux of glass production? And did the split of presented at the International Symposium on
production into primary and secondary stages continue? Archaeometry, LA (2014) and the ‘Things that Travelled’
My PhD aims to answer these questions through analysis conference, London (2014). Furthermore, academic
of glass taken from sites in Israel. papers are in preparation for publication.

From the 1st to 7th November the AHG part funded my In total 4 days were spent at the IAA in Jerusalem. Glass
visit to Jerusalem. The reasons for this trip were two-fold, was sampled from excavations across Israel procuring
firstly, to collect an additional 200 samples of well-dated glass dating from the 7th to 12th century (Late Byzantine
glass from the store rooms at the Israel Antiquities up to Crusader). The samples were of drawn, diagnostic

Glass News 38 July 2015 13

forms, the majority of which are from published QUERY
excavations with separate glass reports. The aim of this
second trip was to target samples of glass from sites that The editors of Glass News have kindly offered to pass
were not sampled before, to get a greater geographical some questions on to your group, however they have
spread of the country, to get contrasting locations (coastal evolved since I first sent in the request.
vs inland, urban vs rural) and finally, to concentrate on
dates previously under sampled - primarily 9th-11th I have been collecting goggles for a while now and am
century Abbasid-Fatimid periods. A total of confused about the origins and relationship between
approximately 200 samples were taken from eight sites, 'Triplex Safety Glass Co, Ltd, 1 Albemarle Street,
including the urban sites of Caesarea, Jerusalem, Ramla Piccadilly, London' set up in 1912 and 'Triplex Goggle,
and Tiberias; rural sites of Tel Rosh and Nahal Shovel; Mask & Lens Co. Ltd, London' set up in 1917. Also
and the military sites of Ashdod Yam and Ha-Bonim. where did they go?
Photos were taken, contextual information and drawings
recorded and small, 1-5 mm samples, removed. John Clark [AHG Board member] has helped point me in
the right direction, most importantly by pointing out that
Fragment of late 6th-8th century AD bottle with blue the Pilkington web site which says Triplex was set up
trails and pinched decoration © Matt Phelps 1923, is factually wrong; that is the date they took over
the name.
One highlight of the trip was a chance to present my
work during a 45 minute presentation to the Glass I now have more detailed questions.
Committee and other IAA staff. These were people that
had excavated, identified, recorded and curated many of 1. Whose Triplex patent were they using from 1912; John
the vessels which I had sampled. I was able to update C. Wood’s in the UK or Edouard Beneditus’s French
them on my current findings, answer questions on my one?
techniques, but also, crucially, I was able to get feedback 2. It is interesting that in the 1917 notice of new
on my work from the glass specialists. companies, the name J.H. Bulford appears as director of
Triplex goggle, Mask & lens Co. Ltd., as Newbold &
On my final day in Jerusalem I was given the opportunity Bulford Ltd (est. 1796), was an old name in the London
to tour the extensive glass collections at the Israel glass instrument business. So did this old family set up
Museum under the guidance of Na’ama Brosh (curator of these Triplex companies in 1912 and 1917 as a
the Islamic gallery). Highlights included the Roman and subsidiary? Harry Newbold is registered in the US patent
Byzantine glass room (curated by Natasha Katsnelson) office as the designer the Triplex goggle which became
which displayed a section on glass working and the RAF MkII.
decorative techniques, and of the Islamic glasses, 3. Was the Triplex Goggle, Mask & Lens Co, set up as a
particularly the Umayyad and Abbasid period vessels. subsidiary of Triplex Safety Glass Co, to deal with the
This was a successful and enjoyable trip, made possible large RFC/RAF goggle contract awarded to them in Dec.
by the generous funding from the AHG. 1916?
4. Was the takeover of the Triplex name in 1923 by
Glass News 38 July 2015 Pilkington amicable or not?
5. What happened to the original two Triplex Co’s.? Did
they become SLM (abbreviation of ?), which produced
the RAF MkII/Harry Newbold pattern goggles and others
through to WWII?'

Thanks for any help.

Steve Saunders
[email protected]

14

NEW BOOKS with special focus on the glass findings. In an exemplary
fashion she has described and classified the glasses and
Reflets de Venise published a great number of them for the first time. By
studying the glasses in their original context she widely
Baumgartner, Erwin outclassed the usual ways of just describing, categorizing
Vitrocentre Romont, 2015 and illustrating the objects.
ISBN 978-3-0343-1665-1
€48.20

The glasses produced in the 16th and 17th century Venice Roman water pitcher, cups and plate, found at
or elsewhere à la façon de Venise are unanimously Luxemburger Straße, Cologne © Römisch Germanisches
recognised as the most beautiful and most valuable of
their time. They were intended for Kunstkammers of Museum, Cologne
princely residences, and wealthy bourgeois houses across
Europe. A small part of them, thanks to fortunate In extensive introductions the author discusses the state
circumstances, were preserved until today. This volume of research and vividly retraces the history of the
presents a selection of about 190 complete glasses from excavations during the 19th and 20th centuries, most of
Swiss collections, shown in full page images and which have not been conducted by professionals. Further
accompanied by a detailed description and comment. The texts are dedicated to the modes of entombment, the
catalogue also includes more than 200 fragments function of the glass vessels in this connection, the social
discovered in archaeological excavations. It shows, for background of the buried, questions concerning the glass
the first time, a broad overview of the types of Venetian workshops and the chronological development of Roman
or façon de Venise glass that was found in Switzerland in glass art in the Colonia Agrippina over the centuries. The
the 16th and 17th centuries. Research has also shown that tables of forms on pages 59-64 of the book provide a very
some glasses that, until the end of the twentieth century, useful survey of the range and character of production of
were thought to be Venetian, are actually products of the glass workshops in Cologne during the 1st to 4th
Swiss glassworks. centuries.

BOOK REVIEWS The catalogue is divided into two parts. The first one
deals with the glass findings, presenting them in groups
Römische Gläser aus Gräbern an der according to their shapes. Each one of these groups – 77
Luxemburger Straße in Köln Typologie, in total – is thoroughly discussed under the headings
Chronologie, Grabkontexte In: Kölner Jahrbuch. “Grabtypus und Fundlage” (type of entombment and
Herausgegeben vom Römisch-Germanischen position of findings), “Form und Technik” (form and
Museum und der Archäologischen Gesellschaft technique), “Verwendung und Gefäßkombination” (usage
Köln 45. Band, 2012 and vessel combination) and “Datierung” (dating).

Dela von Boeselager The publication gains additional and crucial value by the
second part of the catalogue. It documents the complete
Gebr. Mann Verlag Berlin, 2014 content of the glass containing tombs. In drawings and
ISBN 978-3-7861-2681-2 photographs alongside with the glasses all associated
€85 finds made of other materials are presented, this way
providing the archaeological context of the objects. This
For several years the author has worked on the history of gives hints for the social status of the deceased and
the excavations at the great cemetery along Luxemburger
Straße, the south-western arterial road of Roman Cologne 15

Glass News 38 July 2015

illustrates the significance of glass vessels for the An interesting read and one particularly recommended
respective tombs and Roman burial culture in general. for those wishing to understand more about the detailed
mechanics of a glass-making company that are usually
This procedural method is new for glass research in submerged under the vague heading of ‘technology’.
Cologne. Until now the other finds in a tomb remained
widely unconsidered for cataloguing and dating glasses in Colin Brain
the collection of the Römisch Germanisches Museum in
Cologne. Concentrating on the total of all finds in a tomb, Contact us
as they are documented in the museums archive, the
author arrives at results of dating that are by far more Honorary Secretary: Denise Allen, 8 St
accurate and reliable than those of earlier studies. Catherine’s Road, Southampton, SO18 1LJ
Email: [email protected]
In this detailed analysis of an important part of the
Roman legacy the publication is a major contribution for If you are not computer-connected and would
an overall view of Roman glass art in Cologne combined like further information or to be put into contact
with an in-depth update of the state of research. This way with anyone concerning any of the items in Glass
the commendable work of Fritz Fremersdorf and others News please write to either of the editors, or the
gets some valuable correction and completion. Honorary Secretary.

Helmut Ricke See the website for updated information:
www.historyofglass.co.uk
Little Things in Glass
(and metal and plastic Please send your contributions:
too) Finds • Research • Ideas • Enquiries
Publications • Conferences • News
Tom J Lawson
GML Publishing, 2014 for Glass News 39
by
ISBN 978-0-9542354-1-3
27th November 2015
Available for £12.90
including P&P in the UK, to either of the editors:
from The Great British
Bookshop Rachel Tyson
[email protected]
Mention the history of glass and images of windows,
wine glasses, or bottles probably come to mind. However or
this well-researched book reminds us that there are a
whole host of other little things in glass that we take for Andrew Meek
granted, but without which modern civilisation as we The British Museum
know it would not exist – traffic lights; lenses; scientific, Great Russell Street
industrial and transport instruments of all kinds; buttons; London WC1B 3DG
syringes; insulators and marbles - to name but a very [email protected]
small sample. This book by Tom Lawson, subtitled “The
Biography of the English glass Company Ltd 1934 to 16
1990” gives an insider’s view (complete with copies of
original documents) of a company that went from
technical bankruptcy in 1939 to being listed amongst the
country’s top 100 private companies in the 1980s. Rare,
and possibly uniquely, for a glass history volume this
book provides insights into the backgrounds of some of
the key players and their strategies and decision-making
over the years, as well as the organisations and products
that resulted.

Glass News 38 July 2015

Glass News

January 2016 Published by The Association for the History of Glass Ltd ISSN 1362-5195
www.historyofglass.org.uk

Number 39

Frontispiece: 1st-century cup with enamel decoration The editors would like to thank this issue’s contributors
from Muralto, shown in exhibition at Avenches, AIHV for their material; please continue to send anything you
post-Congress tour. © Jennifer Price think would be of interest. We are always happy to
receive long or short pieces about glass research or
Welcome to Glass News 39! The Autumn of 2015 saw discoveries. We particularly urge students to keep us up
the 20th AIHV Congress take place in Switzerland, from to date with what they are researching. We also need
which the papers will be published in due course. We people to write reviews of the meetings they have
also had a very successful AHG study day A Second attended, AHG or otherwise; please contact one of the
Miscellany of Glass in London. Many thanks to Caroline editors if you would be interested in doing this. See back
Jackson and Sally Cottam for organising it. Some of the page for contact details.
speakers have agreed to write reports for future issues of
Glass News. Both meetings are reported on inside. If you like to see the photos in this issue in colour, we
can send a colour PDF version of this issue of Glass
The AHG has provided grants for research or to present News on request TO MEMBERS AND SUBSCRIBERS.
research in glass history, and three of those diverse Please email one of the editors (see back page).
projects are reported upon in this issue: a study tour of
historic glass in the USA, experimental bead making, and Subscriptions and memberships for 2014–2015 are due in
research on medieval window glass found in Scotland. April, and a form is enclosed to send with cheques to
John Clark.
Future events include a joint study day with the Society
for Glass Technology ‘To make much better glass…’ in FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
April (see page 2). There are further meetings to look
forward to listed, in Sheffield, Germany and France. To keep up-to-date on news and current research on
the history of glass visit:
Useful websites are listed on pages 13–14, and thank you
to those who sent details of their favourite Roman glass facebook.com/TheAssociationForTheHistoryOfGlass
websites. Please send us your favourite multi-period glass Click ‘Like’ and please share.
websites for the next issue. A number of new books are
listed, with a book review of excavations in London Follow us on Twitter: @Ass_Hist_Glass
where interesting Roman and medieval glass was found.
THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE
HISTORY OF GLASS

Registered charity 275236

Board of Management

President: Colin Brain
Hon Secretary: Denise Allen
Hon Treasurer: Angela Wardle

Members of Board

Justine Bayley Chloe Duckworth Martine Newby

John Clark Suzanne Higgott Jennifer Price

Sally Cottam Caroline Jackson Daniela Rosenow

Simon Cottle Andrew Meek John Shepherd

David Crossley Rachel Tyson

Glass News 39 January 2016 1

AHG SPRING STUDY DAY AHG PRESIDENT’S PIECE

“To make much better glass ...” Truth in Historical Glass Research

18th April 2016, 10.15–17.00 Recently I have been reminded of the difficulties of
The Wallace Collection, London W1U 3BN trying to establish the truth about how glass has been
made and used throughout history. At the recent study
2016 is the centenary of the founding of the Society for day “Fragmentary Tales; a second miscellany of glass”,
Glass Technology. To mark this event this study day the papers presented many ideas that were new, or
aims to consider how people at different times have different; challenging commonly accepted views. If glass
handled the need to make much better glass. Glass has history is to remain a live subject it is important that such
always been a complex material and making much better new ideas should become more widely known. I hope
glass has demanded, amongst other things: investment; that there will be the opportunity to read more about them
organisational change; improved raw materials; in the next issue of Glass News.
glassmaker training and education; new processes; and
new furnace technologies. The presentations will In Glass News 36, Professor Ian Freestone shared his
examine some transformational changes that occurred in critical views on Rosemarie Lierke’s contribution to
glassmaking prior to 1930 that each generated the “New Light on Old Glass: Recent Research on Byzantine
capability to make much better glass, identifying the Mosaics and Glass”. Rosemarie has responded and asked
critical changes and the key people and organisations that the AHG to point readers to her past publications,
made these happen. including that in AIHV Annales 19, and her website
(www.rosemarie-lierke.de) which provide more detail of
The cost of the day will be £12 for students, £24 for her ideas and the evidence on which they are based. She
members (AHG, Society for Glass Technology, or would also like to point out that the review was incorrect
Friends of the Wallace Collection), or £34 for non- to associate her with the suggestion of the use of clay
members. Lunch is not provided. pipes to blow glass. I invite interested readers to draw
their own conclusions on these matters. Here I am more
Please see www.historyofglass.org.uk for the latest interested in the processes involved and the AHG’s role
information. To book, email [email protected], in them.
or write to: Colin Brain, 10, College Street, Salisbury,
SP1 3AL enclosing an SAE. So, is it more important to maintain a diversity of ideas
that easily accommodates new approaches, or to build a
AHG GRANTS common consensus that might act as a barrier to change?
The answer has to be that both these facets are equally
Grants are available from the Association for the History important. For example, through their effect on collection
of Glass, for educational or research activities consistent and conservation policies, century-old myths about
with the Association’s charitable aims. These could English and Irish crystal glass may have permanently
include, for example, attendance at a conference to degraded the material record that we will pass on to
present a lecture or poster, a study visit, fieldwork, or future generations. Here, the lack of challenge to the
publication of scholarly works. There are no restrictions consensus has been detrimental. Equally Ian’s call for
on who may apply or on the topics of applications, which evolution, not revolution, in consensus building is very
will be judged on merit. Multiple applications in different important. When interpreting the sparse archaeological
years will be considered with individual awards up to record one has inevitably to make assumptions about the
£500. A list of grants that have previously been awarded context in which things were developed and used. If there
can be found on the AHG website. is no shared view of this context it becomes difficult to
integrate disparate contributions and to move the subject
An application form may be downloaded from the forward – too little consensus is also bad.
website, or can be obtained from the Honorary Secretary,
Denise Allen at 12 Birchy Barton Hill, Exeter EX1 3ET. We are not the first people to encounter this dilemma and
Email: [email protected] I commend readers to Steven Shapin’s book “A Social
History of Truth”, which explores how such issues were
Glass News 39 January 2016 handled at the dawn of the ‘Age of Reason’. Shapin
draws attention to the role of independent arbiters, such
as Robert Boyle, in helping to build consensus on ‘the
truth’. But who should exercise such a role in glass
history today? Looking back at the list of the worthies
who started the AHG in 1977, few of their equivalents
are now left, due to cuts and organisational changes.

2

Thus I think that AHG must have roles in both promoting CONFERENCES
and communicating new ideas and in helping to build
consensus on ‘the truth’ in order to maintain a dynamic The 8th International Congress of the
common context for further research. What do you think? Association Française pour l’Archéologie

Colin Brain du Verre (AFAV)

ERRATUM Glass in Western Europe AD 700–1600

The glass from Madinat al-Zahra on the cover of Glass 5–7 December 2016
News 38 was described in the caption as mould-blown, Besançon (France)
but – as kindly pointed out by Jennifer Price – the image
shown was of a cut-glass beaker. Both mould-blown and
cut-glass beakers have been found at the site. For
comparison, I include below an example of each.

Chloë N. Duckworth

(a) Mould-blown glass, pale green. Madinat al-Zahra, Archaeologists, historians, archaeometrists, restorers,
Spain, second half of the 10th century AD. Madinat glass professionals and enthusiasts will be gathering
al-Zahra Museum. © Chloë Duckworth around a common topic: “Glass from the 8th to the 16th
century in Western Europe”. The Middle Ages have been
(b) Relief-cut glass, colourless. Madinat al-Zahra, highlighted since the very beginning of the Association
Spain, second half of the 10th century AD. Madinat especially through the exhibition catalogue À travers le
al-Zahra Museum. © Chloë Duckworth verre, du Moyen Âge à la Renaissance in 1989 and the
conference proceedings Le verre de l’Antiquité tardive et
Glass News 39 January 2016 du haut Moyen Âge in 1995. One must recognize that
since then, no significant state-of-the-art overview has
been published, an issue also noticeable at European level
since the last relevant document is the exhibition
catalogue Phönix aus Sand und Asche. Glas des
Mittelalters published in 1988.

One must acknowledge that the increasing number of
rescue and systematic excavations on medieval sites, and
the democratization of new conservation methods have
allowed a considerable improvement and renewal of this
theme. However, as already stated above, the lack of
comprehensive overviews is still greatly hindering local
studies. Therefore, this congress intends to provide the
opportunity to think about the significance of glass
products in medieval societies.

The 8th century is an especially significant period for
Western Europe, where new political, economic and

3

cultural systems were flourishing. In this respect, for Interdisciplinary approaches based on exploitation of
example, we have to ask ourselves what was the archaeological, historic and archaeometric sources, and
influence of the Islamic world on glass consumption in collaborations between researchers, will be favoured.
the Iberian Peninsula and beyond? Furthermore, in the
northern part of the continent, the remains of the Viking Call for papers: Proposals for oral and poster
trade emporia allow us to consider long-distance trades of presentations in English or French to be sent by 1 March
glass manufactured goods. Whence did these luxurious 2016 to [email protected].
objects, found in settlements and tombs of the
Scandinavian elite, come from? And what about the Society of Glass Technology
Antique legacy in the Frankish kingdom? Finally, a major Centenary Conference
transformation of glass manufacturing occurs at the end
of the 8th century in Western Europe, a manufacturing Glass – Back to the Future!
process which was previously largely dependent on Near
Eastern raw material imports. The use of plant ash for Sheffield, 4th–8th September 2016
glass making had necessarily an impact on the location of
workshops, but also on the way they were functioning The Society of Glass Technology Centenary Conference
and the management of raw materials resources. Should (SGT100) in Sheffield will be a significant opportunity to
we speak of a breaking point in the glass manufacturing review the state of glass in its widest manifestations -
process, or should we consider a gradual evolution from from the theoretical challenges of understanding the
one process to another? Is there one prominent model in glassy state and the glass transition to the latest
the overall area, or is it possible to identify local developments in the application of glasses in windows
disparities? and containers, information technology, medical
applications and waste vitrification, as well as the history
From the High Middle Ages, glass has become and artistic applications of glass.
increasingly important in various fields such as
tableware, jewellery, architecture, lighting, optics and We are proud that the SGT100 meeting is also the 2016
medicine. Is the only common denominator for the European Society of Glass (ESG 2016) meeting - a
success of these objects their shared plastic properties: meeting that traditionally has a strong industrial focus
malleability, transparency and colorability? Or should we and thus we therefore look forward to a conference that
also take into consideration its symbolic value, especially brings people from all parts of the glass community
in liturgical and funerary contexts? The use, meaning and together.
value of such uncovered artefacts are not always well
defined. Those social and economic markers have Plenary and keynote talks, invited talks, contributed
necessarily changed over time or can be subject to papers and poster sessions will cover all aspects of glass
regional dissimilarities. In this regard it seems relevant to science, technology, manufacture, engineering, art,
raise the possibility that glass is indeed a social marker. archaeometry and heritage. Topics will be addressed
And, as such, glass artefacts need to be brought back in within five key themes: Fundamental Glass Science;
their historical context, connected back to territorial Applied Glass Science and Technology; Glass Industry,
entities and populations, in order to question the socio- Manufacture and Applications; History, Heritage and
economic status of consumers and production sites. Archaeometry of Glass; Glass Art and Craft

If entirety is out of reach, this congress intends, however, Please visit the Conference website,
to achieve an updated state of research. For this purpose, http://www.esg2016.eu/ for detailed information on each
original works and thematic overviews, whether theme and session topics; and the list of Keynote and
chronological or geographical, are expected on the Invited speakers.
subject of production, distribution and uses of medieval
glass in Western Europe. Overcoming academic and Glass Meetings in Germany 2016
national boundaries is also one of the primary objectives,
in qualitative rather than quantitative terms, especially for In Germany, Archeoglas will be visiting the Roman Villa
the earlier periods which are more dependent on Borg from May 20th–22nd 2016 to continue their
discoveries and their state of conservation. The 8th experimental archaeology ‘Borg Furnace Project’:
International AFAV Congress therefore wishes to www.archeoglas.de
highlight the progress in glass history but also to draw
attention to the shortcomings of this theme, in order to The German glass history group GlasTag will be holding
give guidelines for future research on a material which their annual meeting at Augusta Raurica, Augst in
has already proved its relevance for a better October 2016. See website for updates and details:
understanding of medieval societies. Submitted papers www.glastag.de
will be reviewed by a scientific committee.
4
Glass News 39 January 2016

MEETING REVIEWS islamique (VIIIe–XIIIe siècles: apports récents et
réflexions sur les échanges et les influences’.
AIHV20: The 20th Congress of the
Association Internationale Figure 2: Diversity of participants at 20th AIHV
pour l’Historie du Verre Congress. © Jennifer Price
The range of contributions in the early glass sessions was
The 20th triennial Congress of the Association very wide and some excellent material was presented. As
Internationale pour l’Histoire du Verre (AIHV) took always, there was a marked concentration of research on
place in Fribourg, Switzerland, from Monday 7 – Friday Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine glass, some dealing
11 September, with optional post-Congress tours on 12 with large and complex projects and others with the study
and 13 September. The organizing committee, of a single vessel. A personal favourite was a detailed and
comprising Anne de Pury-Gysel, Erwin Baumgartner, well-illustrated lecture about the conservation,
Sylvia Fünfschilling, Stefan Triümpler and Sophie Wolf, reconstruction, careful examination and scientific
presented 253 participants from 33 countries (Fig. 2) with investigation of an old find of a cage-cup from Tarranes
a rich and varied programme of papers, exhibitions and (Macedonia), but there were very many others with
hospitality. The Congress was held at the University of equally splendid new information. Overall, the
Fribourg Miséricorde. Built between 1937 and 1941, the contributions in Session A highlighted the strength of
attractive campus was designed by Denis Honegger and new research in France, Israel and Italy and the
Fernand Dumas (Fig. 1). During refreshment breaks, the development or re-emergence of interest in glass studies
sunny weather enhanced participants’ enjoyment of the in countries such as Turkey, Germany and Egypt.
delightful landscaped setting.
The organizing committee had been keen to increase the
Figure 1: University of Fribourg campus. © Suzanne number of art historical papers on glass of the early
Higgott modern period and later, to give these areas stronger
representation than they have had in recent years. They
The lecture programme, comprising approximately 100 achieved this. In some cases, aspects of a subject were
papers, was arranged for the most part into two parallel reflected in two consecutive papers. This was the case for
sessions (A and B), with the addition of a third session Project Cristallo, a research project on Venetian
(C) on the Thursday. Papers on glass from the second Renaissance enamelled glass (Fig. 3). A paper by
millennium BC to the early Islamic world were given in Françoise Barbe and Fernando Filipponi on the
Session A, while Session B covered glass from the provenances of some of the glasses being studied was
medieval period to the 20th century. Session C followed by a paper on analysis results by Isabelle Biron,
concentrated on papers on technological and scientific Marco Verità, Françoise Barbe and Rosa Barovier
studies of glass of all periods. Four keynote speakers Mentasti. While it is difficult to select individual papers
provided overviews of the state of work in their for special mention, Kitty Laméris’s cutting edge
respective areas of expertise: Marie-Dominique Nenna on analysis of the evolution of vetro a filigrana resulted in a
‘L’étude du verre antique. État de la recherche’; Ian fascinating contribution on ‘Dating filigrana glass’ and
Freestone on ‘The scientific analysis of early glass: Tara Desjardins, a PhD candidate at SOAS who is
achievements and prospects’; Anastassios Antonaras on studying Mughal glass (and who spoke at the AHG study
‘Glass in Byzantium. Finds, facts and some thoughts’ and day on 15 June 2015), presented a paper on an unusual
Danielle Foy on ‘Entre Orient et Occident, le verre subject, ‘A collection of 18th-century Indian glass case
bottles’.
Glass News 39 January 2016
5

Figure. 3: Some of the participants in Project Cristallo occupies the former castle site, but there is also
enjoying drinks at the castle in Romont, home of the interesting glass beyond the castle walls, in the form of
Vitromusée. Left to right: Aurélie Gerbier, Isabelle important stained glass in nearby churches. At the
Biron, Fernando Filipponi, Marco Verità, Françoise Vitromusée, Erwin Baumgartner had curated a
Barbe and, kneeling, Dora Thornton. © Suzanne Higgott magnificent exhibition on Venetian Renaissance glass
from Swiss public and private collections. This provided
Approximately 80 posters also provided additional an invaluable opportunity to see examples of Swiss façon
opportunities to find out about recent research on a wide de Venise glass production, including fascinating
range of topics. archaeological material. In the uncommentated film
accompanying the show, William Gudenrath
demonstrated some Venetian glassmaking techniques.
Erwin Baumgartner’s excellent catalogue, Reflets de
Venise: Verres des XVIe et XVIIe siècles de collections
suisses, Bern 2015, is an enduring legacy of this
landmark exhibition. It would be wonderful if the film
could also be made more widely available. The
Vitromusée Romont is also home to an exceptional
collection of reverse painting on glass (Fig. 4) as well as
workshop spaces. Participants were fortunate to be able
to watch demonstrations by William Gudenrath and a
stained glass maker. The hospitality included musical
entertainment in the courtyard and a delicious buffet
supper.

The ICOM glass group held their GLASS General
Assembly, chaired by Reino Liefkes, during the
Congress, on 8 September, and the ICOM glass group
had a visit to see glass collections in Zurich on 14
September.

Figure 4: Display about reverse painting on glass from Figure 5: 4th-century cameo bowl with hunting scene
Romont. © Suzanne Higgott from Stein an Rhein, Avenches exhibition. © Sue
Hardman
The scientific programme was complemented by visits.
On Monday evening participants enjoyed a private view The two days of post-Congress tours enabled participants
of an exhibition of Roman and other locally excavated to explore Swiss collections more extensively. The
glass at the Archaeological Service of the Canton of excursion on 12 September went to the Latenium in
Fribourg (SAEF), picturesquely located near the river. Neuchâtel, the largest Swiss archaeological museum, and
Avenches, the capital (Aventicum) of the Helvetii, for a
The Wednesday excursion to the Vitromusée in the tour of the Roman town and museum, with a very good
historic walled town of Romont, dramatically situated in special exhibition “Fragile. Verres Romains” which
a green valley almost silent but for the jingling of cow showed the finds from the early glass workshop and other
bells, was a highlight of the Congress. The Vitromusée glass from Aventicum as well as some special pieces

Glass News 39 January 2016 6

from other museums in Switzerland (Figs 5–6 and with a wheel-cut Bacchic frieze from Colliton Park in
Frontispiece). On 13 September participants went to Dorchester. Intriguingly, this and a number of other
Geneva for a tour of the Ariana Museum, with special Roman glass vessels appear to have been deliberately
exhibitions on Saint-Prex glass and recent work by Anna divided into two halves by cutting down the middle, and
Dickinson, followed by a visit to the Museum of the reasons for this phenomenon were discussed.
Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (Mudac) in
Lausanne. From first to last this was a hugely enjoyable Another Roman site was presented by Stephen Cockings
Congress. and Elizabeth Sayer, in Manton Lane, Bedford. Despite
Roman villa sites apparently being very sparse in
Figure 6: Opaque blue globular jug with trefoil Bedfordshire, this site was remarkably discovered to be
mouth (1st century) from Muralto, Avenches very high status, including having the only known
exhibition. © Jennifer Price example of free-style low relief stucco work in Britain.
The publication of the Annales of the 20th Congress is The majority of the glass was window glass, which has
scheduled for late 2016/early 2017. It will include been chemically analysed, suggesting a late date.
submissions from both the oral and poster presentations.
The 21st Congress is planned to take place in Istanbul in Justine Bayley (UCL) presented some preliminary
Turkey in 2018. research on medieval glassworking waste from Kirkstall
Suzanne Higgott Abbey on the edge of Leeds, including crucible sherds
Jennifer Price and glassy waste, with a useful overview of the problems
associated with analysing glassy layers from crucibles,
AHG Autumn Study Day and the contamination of window glass with lead during
20th November 2015 on-site recycling. The window glass was thought to have
Fragmentary Tales: been made on site no later than the 14th century, and
recycled in the 16th century. Jacqui Pearce (MoLA) gave
A Second Miscellany of Glass an exciting presentation on 16th- and 17th-century glass
from the Embroiderers’ Hall in the City of London and
This study day held at the London Archaeological Tanner Street in the lower status area of Southwark, both
Archive and Research Centre encompassed all periods of of which had plenty of stunning drinking vessels of
glass history, proving very popular, as was the original Venetian/façon de Venise, Low Countries and English
‘miscellany of glass’ study day two years previously. It origin. The large number of urinals found at the
opened with Sally Cottam (UCL) describing some Embroiderers’ Hall was also intriguing.
stunning glass from a rich 2nd-century burial at Kelshall,
Hertfordshire. This was a preliminary report on the Some ‘glass beads in the north’ from sites along the A1
extensive range of glass tableware, including some road-widening excavations were shown by Elizabeth
mosaic glass, and bottles from a cremation burial found Foulds (Northern Archaeological Associates), with
by metal detectorists in 2014. particularly interesting Roman glass finds from
Cataractonium fort, Catterrick, and the associated
This was followed by Jennifer Price (University of cemetery at Bainesse, including an unusual large disc-
Durham) considering the late Roman hemispherical bowl shaped polychrome decorated bead.

Glass News 39 January 2016 A much later site, Hungate in York, was discussed by
Karen Weston (York Archaeological Trust), where 19th-
century wine bottles were found in pits in this very poor
area, but other glass finds, as well as those of other
materials, were notable by their absence. This raised the
issue of how later post-medieval glass should be viewed
not only from the perspective of the vessels themselves,
but in the context of who used it, and how it was used or
recycled in the community.

The first presentation of excavations of a 17th-century
glasshouse at Stourbridge by Kate Churchill (Nexus
Heritage) and Vanessa Castagnino (University of York)
was notable. The glasshouse was built in the 1690s and
collapsed in 1785, providing a superb opportunity for
archaeological evidence of one of these cones. The
arrangement of the furnaces inside was interesting, and
finds from the site were brought for examination by
participants at the end of the day.

7

A fascinating study of coloured glass inlays in 5th- to Participants were invited to bring along glass finds for
7th-century jewellery from Kent was given by Walter Jo general viewing, and as well as the Stourbridge glass,
Ahmet (UCL), and the potential of portable XRF and there was some fascinating glass from Dublin brought by
digital microscopy to distinguish between red glass and Antoine Giacometti, and huddles of people discussing
garnet inlays, which appear similar to the human eye. The their mystery glass objects around the room. It was a very
reason for the mixture of glass and garnets was debated, informative and enjoyable day. Many thanks to Caroline
whether the glass replaced lost garnets, or whether the Jackson and Sally Cottam for their excellent organisation,
two materials were chosen to give more variety in the and Dan Nesbitt and all those at MoLA who made it
brightness of the jewellery. successful.

Rachel Tyson

AHG GRANT REPORTS

The Glass Circle Study Tour U.S.A. May 2015

Rebecca Wallis

Curator, Ceramics and Glass, Victoria and Albert Museum

An enthusiastic group of twenty Glass Circle members continues to acquire outstanding glass for the displays,
gathered in Dearborn, Detroit, on Tuesday 12th May to both in the glass pavilion, opened in 2006, and alongside
begin the U.S.A. study trip organised by Chairman John fine arts in the main museum building. One recent
P. Smith. acquisition that Jutta showed the group was a stunning
spiral form chandelier made in 1810–11 for Brunswig
Our study of American culture started promptly the next Castle, the summer palace of Napoleon’s brother,
morning at the nearby Henry Ford Museum. Named Jérôme Bonaparte (1784–1860). The makers Werner &
after its founder, the noted automobile industrialist Mieth, Berlin, considered it to be the most beautiful
Henry Ford (1863–1947), the museum and associated chandelier they created. Its design may be attributed to
Greenfield Village fulfils Ford's desire to preserve items the archaeologist and theoretician Hans Christian
of national and international significance and in Genelli (1763–1823), as it relates to a drawing in which
particular represents the industrial and technological he ‘dissects’ the volute shapes of a classical Ionic
innovations from the 17th century onwards. Of specific column.
interest were glass ribbon manufacturing machines (for
making machine-blown glass ornaments), collections of Our visit to Toledo included a chance to see the Tiffany
American glass and the Liberty Craftworks Glass & Co. stained glass windows in the First Congregational
Studio. We were privileged to be given a tour of the Church. Taken from an earlier church, the pews and
studio by Josh Wojick, who, with his team, creates glass eight Tiffany & Co. stained glass windows of the 1880s,
based on historical American designs. That evening we in a high Arts and Crafts style, were incorporated into
had a private view of Habatat Gallery’s 43rd the 1913 building along with new commissions.
International Glass Invitational Award Exhibition in Tiffany's windows are known for their jewel-like layered
Detroit. Gallery owners Ferdinand and Corey Hampson construction and re-enforced copper leading, allowing
were wonderful hosts and it was a fantastic opportunity for greater depths of colour and scale. Louis Comfort
for us to see the largest contemporary glass exhibition in Tiffany was so proud of these windows he was said to
America including work by artists such as Dale Chihuly, bring prospective clients all the way from N.Y.C. to
Peter Bremers and Judy Chicago. view them in situ.

On the Thursday we were welcomed by Jutta Page, A short flight took us to Corning, New York State for
Curator of Glass and Decorative Arts, to the Glass the next 3 days - no study tour would be complete
Pavilion at Toledo Museum of Art. From the founding without taking in this important centre of glass making.
of the museum in 1901, Toledo was already known as Much of the visit centred on the world-renowned
the Glass City due to the concentration and innovative Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG) starting with the
glass industry based in and around the area. Jutta also private view of Ennion and His Legacy: Mold-Blown
explained that contemporary glass has a strong Glass from Ancient Rome. We were given an
connection with Toledo as the Studio Glass Movement informative tour of this stunning show (on until 4 Jan
began in the grounds of the museum. The museum 2016) by Karol Wight, President and Director of

Glass News 39 January 2016 8

CMOG. The museum cares for and displays the world’s We were also treated to a glass making
best collection of art and historical glass so our schedule demonstration by CMOG’s expert glassblower, scholar,
was extremely full and definitely rewarding. Rebecca lecturer, and teacher William Gudenrath. An authority
Hopman and Beth Hylan took us behind the scenes at on historical hot glassworking techniques from ancient
the Rakow Research Library and Archive to see Egypt through to the Renaissance, William has
treasures such as glass designs, documents and rare presented lectures and demonstrations throughout the
books. It was a wonderful to see items rescued from the world and contributed to numerous academic
Corning floods of 1972 including a copy of the Mappae publications. On Sunday Jane Spillman, former Curator
Clavicula, a 12th-century Latin manuscript that presents at CMOG, also showed us the important American glass
more than 200 recipes for making various substances collections including the development of mechanical
used in the decorative arts. This was followed by a tour press-moulding, Corning’s cut-crystal and the Carder
of the exquisite European glass collections in the Collection of glass designed by Frederick Carder (1863–
museum with Curatorial Assistant Alexandra Ruggiaro. 1963) - a gifted English designer who started his career
Key recent acquisitions include Venetian glass, at Stevens & Williams before managing the Steuben
showstopper English candelabra and French furniture. Glass Works from its founding in 1903 until 1932.
In March CMOG opened its new Contemporary Art +
Design wing and Kris Wetterlund, Director of Education A coach journey through upstate New York took us to
and Interpretation, took us around what is now the the Brooklyn Museum. The group was given special
world’s largest space dedicated to the display of access to the galleries and collections with Edward
contemporary art and design in glass. The new wing Bleiberg, Curator, Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Near
features more than 70 works from the Museum’s Eastern Art and Barry R. Harwood, Curator, Decorative
permanent collection, including recent acquisitions and Arts. We were able to examine glass in the stores much
large-scale works that have never before been on view. of which is in the process of being catalogued and made
Thematically curated galleries, located around a central available for research on their website.
structure shaped in the form of Alvar Alto’s iconic
1930s bowls, highlight objects that refer to nature, the The final study visit was to the Metropolitan Museum
body, history and material. Artists represented by large- (Met). Curator Elizabeth Cleland took us behind the
scale works include Tony Cragg, Katherine Gray, scenes to see up close a selection of glass from the fifty
Stanislav Libenský and Beth Lipman to name but a few. thousand objects in the Museum’s comprehensive and
historically important collection of European sculpture
William Gudenrath demonstrating glass working and decorative art. Of particular note was a glass
techniques. © Rebecca Wallis monteith of 1700. This is the Met’s earliest example
of flint glass and is engraved with the arms
Glass News 39 January 2016 commemorating the marriage of William Gibbs of
Horsley Park, Essex, and the heiress Mary
Nelthorpe. It is inscribed with the name of the groom
and moralizing inscriptions in Italian, Hebrew,
Slavonic, Dutch, French, and Greek (such as “Fear
God and honor the King” in the main panel). A tour
of the galleries followed with time spent in the
Wrightsman Galleries for French decorative arts, the
Lehman Collection and the American Wing with
stunning daylit exhibits of 17th through to 20th-century
American glass. The Met also has an extensive reserve
collection part of which can be seen in their open stores
within the museum.

I would like to thank the Association for the History of
Glass for contributing funds to allow my participation in
this study trip. It was enormously rewarding and has
given me opportunities for introductions and discussions
with eminent scholars and professionals, and promises to
increase my specialist knowledge of and engagement
with the glass collections under my care.

A full account of this trip has been published in the
newsletter of the Glass Circle.

9

The making of, and demonstrating with, an ancient glass bead furnace

Julie Anne Denton

[email protected]

The following practice-led research undertaken was Figure 1: Viking bead furnace manufactured and
made possible by a small grant from the AHG and tested by Torben Sode, a historic glass specialist
involved building and using an ancient bead furnace at from Denmark. © Julie Anne Denton
the Luxembourg Glass Symposium. In 2007 I created
the replica of a 52-bead Viking necklace in glass, amber, to undertake this opportunity to give me a fuller
jet and faience. It was found in the 1980’s when an understanding of the old furnace and glass making
archaeological dig was conducted at Peel Castle in the processes. I felt this would increase my knowledge of
Isle of Man. The archaeologists also unearthed the lampworking in accordance with the initial research of
remains of a female buried with a number of grave my PhD studies, providing information I could later
goods. This woman, who is now referred to as the Pagan disseminate and build upon through academic papers
Lady, is deemed important due to her burial position, and classes. I would like to thank AHG for their
and the quality of the goods interred with her. The assistance in the form of a travel grant towards this
necklace is conjectured to have been hers. practical research.

As Manx National Heritage were creating their new
Viking gallery in the Manx Museum, they had all the
articles of significance remade. This included swords,
jewellery and clothing. My role in the project took three
months of careful measuring, colour matching every
bead and creating the replicas whilst developing a new
technique to age the beads using modern equipment.
Later the project progressed further in the form of
disseminating these newly acquired techniques through
teaching to archaeologists and glass enthusiasts.

An opaque yellow annular bead with brown Figure 2: Diagram of historic bead furnace. © O.
symmetrically formed lines was excavated by Per Kücükerman
Lundström between 1968–1973 at Paviken, Gotland,
Sweden. Paviken was a Viking seasonal trade settlement I arrived in Asselborn, Luxembourg a number of days
which has had further excavations between 2013–2015 before the symposium began, in order to create a furnace
(Callmer 1977). Its characteristics are so similar to one made of clay and straw, ready for demonstration to the
of the Pagan Lady necklace beads, that this suggests that wider glass community and interested public during the
the two beads were made in the same region. To date, no symposium. The structure consisted of an inner chamber
formal research has been made concerning the origins of which housed two separate areas. The upper component
the Pagan Lady beads, and this is where my interest lies. of the chamber was designed to house three small
ceramic crucibles which were packed with soft glass
I travelled to Denizli in Turkey to meet Dr Önder cullet. The lower area formed a combustible chamber to
Kücükerman, who wrote the definitive text on ancient heat the glass above. Wood was fed through an outlet
techniques of Mediterranean glass beadmakers from the main structure resembling a tunnel. Generating
(Kücükerman 1988). Previously, I met and observed
Torben Sode as he was creating an ancient Viking bead
furnace at the International Festival of Glass in
Stourbridge in 2008. When I met Dr Kücükerman he
revealed that he and Torben had worked closely together
for a number of years.

Since then I have reached the final stages of my PhD
researching the combination of sandcasting with
flameworked glass inclusions. As part of my research I
was invited to attend the International Glass Symposium
in Luxembourg 17–21 August 2015, to help build and
fire an ancient furnace created by Ed van Dijk. I wanted

Glass News 39 January 2016

10

a high enough temperature using only wood and air to from bentonite, graphite and kaolin clay and transferred
melt the glass (between 1000OC and 1100OC) was a this paste onto the end of the 800mm x 6mm steel
tapered rod. Creating a bead consisted of using one
time-consuming process. It took 48 hours of adding fuel, ‘mandrel’ to gather a small amount of glass and then use
this gather to transfer molten glass onto the other
day and night, to generate the necessary heat. mandrel coated in bead release using a coiling
technique. Once the bead was made and centred, a third
rod was used to gather molten glass from the colour
crucible which was transferred to the bead as a twist
design. I had the chance to make a series of different
types of bead using ancient techniques and my
understanding of the process has been enhanced greatly
on a practical level.

Figure 3: Diagram of ancient furnace. Figure 5: The bead after annealing. © Julie Anne
Key: 1. Inlet for wood; 2. Door entrance for working Denton
glass; 3. High fire shelf stand; 4. Combustion
chamber - wood embers; 5. High fire shelf; 6. x3 Whilst at the festival I delivered a paper detailing the
crucibles – x2 colour and x1 transparent glass technical concerns relating to the hot combination of
batch; 7. x3 air (oxygen) inlets; 8. Outlet – chimney. lampworking and sandcasting, and demonstrated these
© Julie Anne Denton new discoveries with Lachezar Dochev (BU) and
Torsten Rötzsch (DE). The artists and researchers (Sode
There were a series of openings towards the bottom of 1997) involved in this symposium came from 17
the inner chamber. These openings were bunged and different countries with a concentration on the eastern
alternately opened and closed from the outside to European glass scene. Once again this successful and
increase or decrease the oxygen flow to the fire pit at the enjoyable research would not have been possible
bottom of the internal chamber. There was also a large without the help of the AHG and I would like to give my
flue leading from the main chamber which acted as thanks for this opportunity.
chimney.
References
Figure 4: Making a bead in an ancient furnace. ©
Venzo Danev Callmer, J, 1977 Trade beads and bead trade in
Scandinavia, ca. 800–1000 AD. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt
After two days of close observation the furnace had Verlag
reached the desired temperature of 1050OC and Ed van
Dijk created a core vessel. Ed van Dijk’s furnace was Kücükerman, O, 1988 Glass Beads: Anatolian glass
not specifically based on the Viking furnace, therefore bead making: The final traces of three Millennia of glass
he deemed it appropriate to make ancient Egyptian core making in the Mediterranean Region (1st ed.), Istanbul:
vessels. The three crucibles consisted of two separate T.T.O.K.
glass colours and a clear batch. Afterwards I was able to
create some beads. Earlier I made my own bead release Rasmussen, M, (ed.) 1995 Glass Beads: Cultural
History, Technology, Experiment and Analogy;
Glass News 39 January 2016 Proceedings of the Nordic Glass Bead Seminar, 16–18
October 1992 at the Historical-Archaeological
Experimental Centre in Lejre, Denmark, Denmark:
Historical-Archaeological Experimental Centre

Sode, T, 1997 Anatolian glass beads (1st ed.), Thot.

11

Scottish Medieval and Post-Medieval Window Glass

Helen Spencer

Heriot Watt University

I was very grateful to receive funding from the to Scotland and decorated locally before the final
Association for the History of Glass, to help me attend installation. However, this has not been corroborated
the recent AIHV 2015 conference in Fribourg, scientifically.
Switzerland. At the conference I presented an
introduction to work that is taking place at Heriot Watt
University under the supervision of Dr Craig Kennedy, in
collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland (HES),
to research Scottish window glass.

In comparison to other parts of Britain and Europe, there
has been relatively little recent research on Scottish
medieval and post-medieval window glass. In part, this is
due to the scarcity of window glass found both in existing
medieval buildings and excavated from archaeological
sites, but also due to lack of comprehensive cataloguing
and integrated study of the glass that has been found.

Window glass was not common in Scotland during the Figure 2: Elgin Cathedral. ©Helen Spencer
medieval period; even as late as the early 18th century,
some Scottish palaces were not fully glazed. It is known I am one of two PhD researchers studying Scottish
that many Scottish cathedrals and monastic sites were Window Glass at Heriot Watt University. I am
glazed and although virtually all window glass was lost concentrating on archaeologically excavated samples –
from these buildings, either before or during the from high medieval Cathedral and monastic window
Reformation, a large number of excavated ecclesiastical glass to post-medieval window glass found in domestic
sites have, yielded hundreds of sherds of plain, coloured contexts. Elemental analysis using a Scanning Electron
and painted glass (Graves 1985). Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence
and portable-XRF (p-XRF) has been carried out on
window glass fragments from Elgin Cathedral and St
Andrew’s Cathedral. In conjunction with detailed
typological analysis of the collections which is being
undertaken by HES, it is hoped that the analysis will
provide new information as to where the glass may have
been made and how it came to be used in Scotland.
Collections at the National Museums Scotland of smaller
assemblages of glass from Glenluce Abbey, Dunfermline
Cathedral, Iona Abbey and Coldingham Abbey, have also
been sampled ready for analysis. Further assemblages
from Perth and Aberdeen will also be investigated.

Figure 1: A selection of grisaille painted window glass The second strand of work is to analyse late and post-
sherds from Elgin Cathedral. ©Robin Murdoch medieval domestic window glass that has been
discovered in recent years in Scotland. Working in
There is also a lack of archaeological and documentary collaboration with Robin Murdoch at Harlaw Heritage,
evidence to show that glass was either manufactured or glass from a range of recently excavated sites - from
worked, in medieval Scotland, before the establishment small farmsteads and crofts to large mansion and tower
of the first documented post-medieval glasshouse in East houses - which range in date from the late 15th C to the
Lothian in 1610 (Turnbull 2001). This leads to the early 18th C, has been analysed. It is hoped to add
assumption that glass was imported in to Scotland prior information about the development of the types of
to the indigenous manufacturing base becoming window glass being used in Scotland over this period.
established. There is limited documentary evidence that
suggests glass for use in church buildings was imported The earliest glass making furnace that has been excavated
in Scotland – that at Morison’s Haven is also being

Glass News 39 January 2016

12

reassessed (Cressey et al. 2012). Scientific analysis of the Over the next few years it is hoped that our team will be
glass making residues discovered at the site is being able to add to the knowledge of Scottish window glass
carried out. This is the first analysis of post-medieval and we look forward to reporting on the results of our
glass making residues in Scotland and it will be work in due course.
interesting to compare the composition of the glass being
made at this site, with those of a similar date in England Acknowledgements
and Ireland that have been studied in more detail. With thanks to Historic Environment Scotland, Elgin
Museums and National Museums Scotland for access to
My colleague Caitlyn Phipps is studying glass windows their collections and to Robin Murdoch for his invaluable
that are still in situ. She is building on work started by knowledge and assistance with the project.
Kennedy et al. (2013) to analyse glass windows in situ
using p-XRF. The conservation philosophy behind the Special thanks to the AHG for their generous bursary to
replacement of window glass in historic building is also allow me to attend the AIHV 2015 conference.
being studied. When undertaking conservation works on
historic buildings, architects and works managers adhere References
to conservation philosophy and principles. However, for Cressey, M, Johnson, M, Haggarty, G, Turnbull, J and
glass there is little effort made to retain historic sections Willmott, H, 2012 Eighteenth-century glass and pottery
and pieces when compared to other materials such as manufacture at Morison's Haven, Prestongrange, East
stone and timber. This is possibly due to a number of Lothian, Post-Medieval Archaeology 46, 36–55
factors, including the inability to judge the age and
historic value of flat, clear window glass by eye. This Graves, C P, 1985 Scottish Medieval Stained and Painted
study will attempt to develop a method of dating window Glass, MA Thesis, Department of Archaeology,
glass in Scottish historic buildings scientifically. University of Glasgow

In addition, the conservation, restoration and repair of Kennedy, C, Murdoch, K R, and Kirk, S, 2013
window glass in Scotland’s built heritage is being Characterisation of Archaeological and in situ Scottish
investigated with the aim of improving the retention of Window Glass, Archaeometry 55, 465–78
historic panes for future generations.
Turnbull, J, 2001 The Scottish Glass Industry 1610 -
1750: “to Serve the Whole Nation with Glass”,
Edinburgh: Society of Antiquities of Scotland

WEBSITES http://www.archeoglas.de/index-en.html
Frank Wiesenberg’s ARCHEOglas website which is
Historic England (formerly English dedicated to experimental glass research. There are
Heritage) Research Reports available downloadable presentations (e.g. on making Roman
ribbed bowls), links to other sites (many in German, but
online not all), lots of images, news, publications and links. The
site can be accessed in either German or English (this
Historic England (formerly English Heritage) Research link is to the English version).
Reports, including specialist glass analysis reports, are
available to download from the website. A search using http://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=513796
‘glass’ as the keyword currently produces 145 reports. Free open access link to Patrick Degryse (ed.), 2014,
Visit: www.historicengland.org.uk/research/research- Studies in Archaeological Sciences. Glass Making in the
results/research-reports/ Greco-Roman World. Results of the ARCHGLASS
project. Leuven University Press. This book presents a
Favourite Glass Websites: Roman reconstruction of the Hellenistic-Roman glass industry
from the point of view of raw material procurement.
We asked you to send us your current favourite websites Within the ERC funded ARCHGLASS project, the
for 1st and 2nd-century Roman glass. Thank you to those authors of this work developed new geochemical
who sent details for those listed below. These are techniques to provenance primary glass making.
specifically Roman. Please send us your favourite
websites with a multi-period range of glass for the next http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/menander/index.html
issue. Insula of the Menander at Pompeii Vol. iii: The Finds in
Context: An On-line Companion. This site, hosted by the
Glass News 39 January 2016 University of Leicester, holds a database of Roman finds

13

with good contexts from one insula block in Pompeii, of Edinburgh, pp. 115–30). This includes colour
excavated in the 1920s and 30s. It is an online companion photographs of the glass. The painting on the book cover
to Penelope M. Allison’s book of 2006 (Oxford (above) by David Martin, 1787, shows Joseph Black
University Press). ‘Glass’ can be searched in the holding some of his glass equipment while teaching.
database, and the location is given as well as a
description of the glass – some are more detailed than Another paper in this book that discusses glass equipment
others with photographs and line drawings. is by A. D. Morrison-Low, Surviving Eighteenth-Century
http://bloggingpompeii.blogspot.co.uk/ Chemical Apparatus in the National Museums of
A blog for all those who work on Pompeii and the other Scotland, pp. 131–8, and I also recommend the National
archaeological sites of the Bay of Naples. A site of Museums of Scotland’s website for these collections.
general interest, but glass is sometimes mentioned!
Glass Beads from Early Medieval Ireland:
NEW PUBLICATIONS Classification, dating, social performance

The Cradle of Chemistry. The Early Mags Mannion
Years of Chemistry at the University of
Edinburgh Publisher: Archaeopress 2015
Printed ISBN 978-1784911966. Epublication ISBN 978-
Edited by Robert G. W. Anderson 1784911973
Birlinn Ltd, Edinburgh, 2015 Printed book £30; E book £19 www.archaeopress.com
ISBN 978-1906566869
£25 [email protected] This is the first dedicated and comprehensive study of
glass beads from Early Medieval Ireland, presenting the
Excavations in Edinburgh by Addyman Archaeology first national classification, typology, dating, symbology
have uncovered what appears to be the 18th-century and social performance of glass beads.
chemistry stores associated with Joseph Black, professor
of chemistry and medicine at Edinburgh from 1766–99. Glass beads are one of the most visually stunning
Finds excavated included glass, ceramic and metal archaeological objects and they remain as popular a part
laboratory equipment, as well as chemical compounds, in of body ornament today as in the past. This continuing
situ. The glass included tubing of various diameters and fascination is explained somewhat by the versatility of
colours, some with residues within, rods, thermometer glass which can be rendered opaque or transparent and
sections, stoppers, a jar, bowls and bottles again produced in a variety of colours. Glass has an almost
containing residues. Some vessels are similar to those in mesmerising effect in its ability to reflect light,
the National Museum of Scotland’s Playfair Collection, presenting not just a surface but also dimensional depths
which date back to Joseph Black’s time. of shade and light. In this respect the crafting of glass
beads as representations of the human eye may go some
The preliminary report is published as a paper in this way towards explaining their enduring and universal
book, by Tom Addyman, Materia Chemica: Excavation popularity.
of the Early Chemistry Stores at Old College, University
Glass beads however are much more than this and their
Glass News 39 January 2016 enduring appeal is also a reflection of their aesthetic and
symbolic qualities. This book explores not only the
importance of beads as a tool of archaeological research
but also the relevance of beads in the social arena and
their significance as markers of cultural and religious
identity and symbols of status and age both in Ireland and
further afield.

I vetri del Museo archeologico di Tripoli

Sofia Cingolani

Publisher: Archaeopress 2015, Archaeopress Roman
Archaeology 7
Printed ISBN 978-1784910945. Epublication ISBN 978-
1784910952
Italian text.
Printed book £33; E book £19 www.archaeopress.com

14

This volume is focused on the cataloguing of glass Contributions in Italian; abstracts in English
conserved in the Archaeological Museum of Tripoli. This €30 www.storiadelvetro.it
is so far an unpublished corpus of objects identified from
investigations into the necropolis and other burials in BOOK REVIEW
Tripoli and its suburbs, in conjunction with the activities
of the Italian Government in Libya during the first twenty Romano-British round houses to medieval
years of the last century. The main objective of the work parish: excavations at 10 Gresham Street,
is filling the gaps in the state of knowledge concerning City of London, 1999–2002
the production of glass of the North-African area by
providing as complete as possible a documentation on the Lindy Casson, James Drummond-Murray and Antony
findings from Oea and its territory. Francis

Study Days on Venetian Glass (2nd–4th MOLA Monograph Series 67, MOLA, 2014
April 2014): Approximately 1700s ISBN 978-1-907586-22-4
£25 www.mola.org.uk/publications
Eds R.B. Mentasti and C. Tonini
This book presents the results of the excavations at 10
Atti dell’Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Gresham Street, London. The report is clearly laid out
Tomo CLXXIII (2014–15), Venezia 2015 with the reader in mind and it contains clear discussion
English text sections that not only examine the features and artefacts,
ISSN 0392-6680 but also consider the social significance of the site. Clear
€15 www.istitutoveneto.it maps with relevant nearby sites and mock reconstructions
of the site features help the reader to understand the
Papers include Suzanne Higgott, Survey of Venetian and spatial relationships at the site and within the wider area.
Façon de Venise Enamelled and Gilded Glass Made c.
1500-1550 and Excavated from Reliably Dated Contexts The finds catalogues at the end are especially useful to
in Great Britain, 69–90 the casual reader and specialist, as both traditional
illustrations and colour photographs of artefacts are used.
This paper describes the author’s participation in Project The importance of the site lies in the glass artefacts that
Cristallo, a research project initiated the Musée du were recovered from contexts dating to the medieval and
Louvre with the C2RMF and LAMA, to establish Roman period. For the medieval period, there was a small
through chemical analysis of the glass and enamels to group of rare high status domestic glassware: fragments
distinguish Venetian Renaissance enamelled glass from of two bright yellow and bright green goblets, fragments
façon de Venise production. This paper includes the of a blue vessel, and a pale green lid, which were likely
survey of relevant glass finds from reliably dated manufactured on the continent. The fragments were
contexts in Britain. The sites reflect the luxury nature of found together in a later 13th-century refuse pit. The
the glass: the City of London, ports including most author claims there are no other known parallels for such
notably Southampton, a royal palace, castles and manor a multi-coloured group of medieval glassware.
houses.
In addition to the medieval glass, a number of fragments
Other papers in the volume include 17th-century glass of glass were found in Roman contexts, as was evidence
from Moravia, the restoration of two glass furnaces at the for glass working at the site. Both the artefact and feature
glass museum of Altare, the Venini covered cup, an evidence found at 10 Gresham Street are of significant
inventory of 1714, Murano glass at the National Place of importance for the study of craft and social complexity
Ajuda, Glassworks Hall in Tirol, early and Rosenborg during the early Roman period. Prior to this period, glass
Castle-type filigrana glass, using inventories, paintings vessels were not in use and nearly all glass objects were
and graphic works, conservation and archaeometric beads, although a very limited number of pre-Roman
analysis of wall mosaic fragments. glass bangle fragments have been found. It has been
suggested that some glass beads were manufactured in
Il vetro in Italia Centrale dall'antichità al Britain during the Iron Age, but this evidence was
contemporaneo, heavily reliant on areas with a high frequency of beads,
types without close continental parallels, compositional
Eds Luciana Mandruzzato, Teresa Medici, Marina Uboldi analysis of glass, and chunks of 'raw' un-worked glass
Atti delle XVII Giornate Nazionali di Studio (Massa (Guido 1978, Henderson 1989). What has been lacking is
Martana e Perugia, 11–12 maggio 2013) the presence of clear archaeological features, such as
hearths or kilns, and material evidence for glass craft,
Published Cremona, 2015
ISBN 978-8890729744 15

Glass News 39 January 2016

including tools, waste/scrap, fragments of glass rod and References
thread, and malformed beads found in a context with
reliable dating evidence. Guido, M, 1978 The Glass Beads of the Prehistoric and
Roman Periods in Britain and Ireland, Reports of the
This site is located within the northwest area of Roman Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of
London and would have been on the fringes of the early London 35
settlement. Excavations revealed two roughly parallel
boundary ditches, both of which were aligned northwest– Henderson, J, 1989 The evidence for regional production
southeast and presumably formed an enclosure. In of Iron Age glass in Britain, in Feugère, M (ed.), 1989 Le
between the ditches were a series of fifteen circular verre préromaine Europe occidental, Montagnac:
structures (i.e. roundhouses), some of which have been Monique Mergoil, 63–72
interpreted as storage or animal pens. The evidence for
these structures is remarkable in its own right: they were Contact us
well preserved, were present in a large number within a
small area, and were tightly dated to an approximately Honorary Secretary: Denise Allen, 12 Birchy
10-year period between about AD 60 and AD 70. What Barton Hill, Exeter EX1 3ET
makes these structures even more interesting is that they Email: [email protected]
were found clustered around a roughly contemporary
three-roomed rectangular building. This structure has See the website for updated information:
given us the first glimpse at evidence for glass working in www.historyofglass.co.uk
Britain, as two hearths, as well as fragments of glass
vessels, waste, and beads, were found. If you are not computer-connected and would like
further information or to be put into contact with
As the site is Roman period in date, based on the pottery anyone concerning any of the items in Glass News
evidence, it is tempting to see a strict separation of please write to either of the editors, or the Honorary
‘native’ and ‘Roman’ culture, with melon beads for the Secretary.
Roman consumer and ‘eye’ beads for the native
consumer. The authors place considerable emphasis on Please send your contributions:
the fact that the bead manufacturers were tailoring their Finds • Research • Ideas • Enquiries
work to native tastes. However, there were many more Publications • Conferences • News
examples of plain annular beads, which are not clearly
associated with native or Roman culture, and blue melon for Glass News 40
beads (generally considered Roman) than the single eye
bead. Although the structural evidence suggests natives by 1st June 2016
were living alongside Romans, or at least those who had
adopted Roman customs, the glass evidence does not to either of the editors:
strongly support that the craftspeople were producing
beads for a native market. Interestingly, however, several Andrew Meek
of the ‘annular’ beads look more like failed attempts, or Department of Conservation and Scientific
possibly initial attempts at working with the glass, than
wearable beads. It may be that they are the work of a Research
novice bead maker, but why they were not recycled is not The British Museum
clear. This suggests that the process of glass recycling Great Russell Street
was governed by some selection rules.
London
The Roman material from 10 Gresham Street, London is WC1B 3DG
some of the most important archaeological evidence for [email protected]
glass craft during the transitionary period between the
Iron Age and Roman period. It is my hope that this or
nationally important assemblage continues to play an
important role in our understanding of the relationship Rachel Tyson
between natives and Romans, glass working, and material [email protected]
culture during this pivotal period.

Elizabeth Foulds

Glass News 39 January 2016

16

Glass News

July 2016 Published by The Association for the History of Glass Ltd ISSN 1362-5195
www.historyofglass.org.uk

Number 40

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This issue contains details of forthcoming meetings and THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE
exhibitions, new books, and a large number of grant
reports and articles. Many thanks to everyone who has HISTORY OF GLASS
sent in contributions!
Registered charity 275236
The autumn 2016 meeting of the AHG - Glass in
Imitation of Other Materials - will be held at University Board of Management
College London on the 7th of November. Further details
can be found on page two. President: Colin Brain
Hon Secretary: Denise Allen
We are always on the lookout for information on Hon Treasurer: Angela Wardle
interesting finds, new research, ideas, queries, new books
and reviews, and any other glass-related news or Members of the Board
meetings. The editors’ details are given on the final page.
We look forward to receiving your contributions for issue Justine Bayley Chloë Duckworth Jennifer Price
41. John Clark Suzanne Higgott Daniela Rosenow
Sally Cottam Caroline Jackson John Shepherd
Glass News 40 July 2016 Simon Cottle Andrew Meek Rachel Tyson
David Crossley Martine Newby

While every effort is made to check the content of the
articles and reviews, Glass News does not accept
responsibility for errors.

1

AHG STUDY DAYS AND AGM For further details, please do contact Daniela Rosenow
([email protected]) or Chloë Duckworth
Glass in Imitation of Other Materials ([email protected]).

Monday 7th November 2016 If you would like to attend, please send your full contact
Institute of Archaeology, University College details and a cheque for £15 (members of AHG),
London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY £25 (non-members) or £8 (students) payable to the
Association for the History of Glass Ltd to: Denise Allen,
The classification of materials is a practice with deep 12 Birchy Barton Hill, Exeter EX1 3ET, UK. Lunch is
roots in the past, but the multifarious properties of glass not provided, but is available locally.
lent it an intermediary or ambiguous position in many
classification systems: from the Bronze Age description Members wishing to attend the AGM of the
of glasses with reference to precious stones, and the role Association only, which will be held on the same day,
of glasses in alchemical theories of the Middle Ages, to may do so free of charge.
the difficulties encountered by modern science in
attempting to determine its physical state, glass has SAVE THE DATE
resisted classification.
  24-25th November 2017
This ambiguous position also stems from the The British Museum, London, WC1B 3DG
chameleonic properties of man-made glasses, which can
be worked to shape when either hot or cold, can be November 2017 will see the 30th
produced in almost limitless hues, and can be either anniversary of the Glass of the
transparent or opaque. Glass is particularly suited to Caesars exhibition in the British
mimicking the properties of stones and gemstones, Museum.
though it also has strong connections with metals and
pottery. Much like the plastics of the 20th century, glass To mark the occasion, the AHG is
may at times in its history have been a by-word in the process of organising a 2-
for ersatz. Yet imitation was often a very complex matter, day seminar in conjunction with
for the properties of glass also lend it a unique value in the Department of Greece and
many applications. Just as the Roman vessel known as Rome and the Department of Scientific Research to be
the Portland Vase originally reflected cameo work in held in the British Museum. The seminar will examine
natural stones, which would have been impossible to how our understanding of Roman glass, both art
achieve on such a large object, so it too was imitated in historically and technically, has changed and developed
ceramic by Josiah Wedgwood in the late 18th century. in the intervening period, and where research might lead
us in the next three decades.
The aim of this study day is to explore aspects of the use
of glass in imitation of other materials. What purposes Still in its early stages, the AHG is hoping to invite
were behind this practice, and how was it achieved from speakers to talk on specific topics on the first day (Friday
a technical perspective? Which materials were mimicked, November 24th), which will conclude with a Keynote
and how did this affect the value of the glass itself and lecture that evening, followed by an optional dinner. The
the material it was imitating? What was the purpose of second day (Saturday 25th) will be open to other talks and
mimesis and imitation at different times? posters.

The study day covers a range of subjects over three A call for papers, with further details, will go out later
millennia, from Egyptian glass and faience of the Late this summer. The lecture hall at the British Museum is
Bronze Age (Paul Nicholson, Susan Sherratt); to glass limited to 130 people, so spaces will be limited.
imitating Chinese jade (Ian Freestone), or opal and agate
(Colin Brain); early English china (Mike Noble); cameo To make sure that you are kept informed or if you have
glasses (Paul Roberts); Hellenistic and Roman banded any suggestions or indeed offers of help, please contact
glasses (Jenny Price); glass inlays in Anglo-Saxon Martine Newby Haspeslagh.
metalwork (Jo Ahmet); and glass skeuomorphs in the
Near East (St John Simpson). Email: [email protected]
Address: c/o Didier Ltd, 66b Kensington Church Street,
London W8 4BY

Glass News 40 July 2016 2

OTHER MEETINGS Glass in Western Europe AD 700-1600
8th International Congress of the
Glass - Back to the Future!
SGT Centenary Conference Association Française pour l’Archéologie
du Verre
Sheffield, UK
4-8th September 2016 Besançon, France
5-7th December 2016
It is hard to imagine modern life without the fascinating
material that is glass. We have come a long way in our The Middle Ages have been highlighted as an important
use and understanding of this material since Professor area of study since the very beginning of the Association,
WES Turner founded the Society of Glass Technology in especially through the exhibition catalogue À travers le
1916 to bring the wider glass community together, yet verre, du Moyen Âge à la Renaissance in 1989 and the
significant challenges and opportunities remain. conference proceedings Le verre de l’Antiquité tardive et
du haut Moyen Âge in 1995. Since then, no significant
The Society of Glass Technology Centenary Conference state-of-the-art overview has been published. An issue
(SGT100) in Sheffield will be a significant opportunity to also noticeable at European level since the last relevant
review the state of glass in its widest manifestations - document is the exhibition catalogue Phönix aus Sand
from the theoretical challenges of understanding the und Asche. Glas des Mittelalters published in 1988.
glassy state and the glass transition to the latest
developments in the application of glasses in windows The increasing number of rescue and systematic
and containers, information technology, medical excavations on medieval sites, along with the
applications and waste vitrification, as well as the history democratisation of new conservation methods has
and artistic applications of glass. allowed a considerable improvement and renewal of this
theme. However, as stated above, the lack of a
The organisers are proud that the SGT100 meeting is also comprehensive overview is still greatly hindering local
the 2016 European Society of Glass (ESG 2016) meeting studies. Therefore, this congress intends to provide the
- a meeting that traditionally has a strong industrial focus opportunity to think about the significance of glass
and thus we therefore look forward to a conference that products in medieval societies.
brings people from all parts of the glass community
together. If complete thoroughness is out of reach, then this
congress intends to achieve an updated state of research.
Plenary and keynote talks, invited talks, contributed For this purpose, original works and thematic overviews,
papers and poster sessions will cover all aspects of glass whether chronological or geographical, are invited on the
science, technology, manufacture, engineering, art, subject of production, distribution and uses of medieval
archaeometry and heritage. Topics will be addressed glass in Western Europe. Overcoming academic and
within five key themes: national boundaries is also one of the primary objectives.
This exercise will certainly require reasoning, not in
o Fundamental Glass Science quantitative terms, but rather in qualitative ones,
o Applied Glass Science and Technology especially for the earlier periods which are more
o Glass Industry, Manufacture and Applications dependent on discoveries and their state of conservation.
o History, Heritage and Archaeometry of Glass
o Glass Art and Craft The 8th International AFAV Congress therefore wishes
to highlight progress in glass history, but also to draw
For further details and registration please visit the attention to the shortcomings of this theme, in order to
conference website: give guidelines for future research on a material which
http://www.centenary.sgt.org/Conference.htm has already proved its relevance for a better
understanding of medieval societies. Submitted papers
Glass News 40 July 2016 will be reviewed by a scientific committee.
Interdisciplinary approaches based on exploitation of
archaeological, historic and archaeometric sources, and
collaborations between researchers, will be favoured.
Oral and poster presentations can be submitted in English
or French.

For further information please visit the conference
website: http://www.univ-fcomte.fr/afav2016/index.html

3

EXHIBITIONS This exhibition, which has been put together largely by
enthusiasts of Margaret’s work on behalf of Shrewsbury
Margaret Agnes Rope Museum, will be the first real chance to assess her work.
Celebrating the Life and Times of the (Though, one should say that she did get an honourable
mention in Peter Cormack’s book for Yale University
Shrewsbury Stained-Glass Artist Press last year).

Shrewsbury Museum Undaunted by the apparent paucity of available artefacts,
September 2016 – January 2017 the Museum has in fact sourced many objects, most of
which will be being seen in public for the first time.
Head of St Winifrede, from a window by Margaret
Agnes Rope in Newport RC Church in Shropshire A specially designed light-show will display projected
photos of her church glass.
Readers will be interested to know that the work of
Margaret Agnes Rope is at last to get a well-deserved If readers do decide to visit the exhibition, do make sure
boost. ‘Marga’ Rope (not to be confused with her cousin) to go on a day when the town’s Cathedral is open to
was born in 1882 and is usually classed as a ‘Later Arts visitors: the magnificent West Window there is one of
& Crafts’ style stained-glass artist. Her work can be seen Margaret Rope’s finest works.
in over forty churches across four continents.
Nowadays, museums have to be ‘hands-on’; and the
This year, her achievements are to be profiled in a major present-day Shrewsbury glass artist Nathalie Liege will
exhibition, the first to be dedicated solely to her life and also be leading sponsored workshops in making stained-
works. As such, it is expected to attract visitors from far glass at the same time as the exhibition. It’s expected that
and wide. lectures and complementary activities will also run
alongside the exhibition.
Following the example of Christopher Whall, and her
own mentor Henry Payne (under whom she studied in The Museum has set up a special email address for
Birmingham), Margaret Rope took seriously the Arts & enquiries – which can help with matters from Shrewsbury
Crafts ideal of being heavily involved with the making of tourism information right through to offers of extra
the work. She is known to have kept a workshop at the information about Margaret Rope: [email protected]
famous Glass House studios in Fulham, where the co-
owner Mary Lowndes encouraged women to strike out as AHG GRANTS
independent makers. Her use of the recently developed
‘slab glass’ gave her work that distinctive jewelled look Grants are available from the Association for the History
sought after by Arts & Crafts practitioners. of Glass, for educational or research activities consistent
with the Association’s charitable aims. These could
Curiously, despite her achievements, she has largely include, for example, attendance at a conference to
disappeared from art-history. This is not just the fault of present a lecture or poster, a study visit, fieldwork, or
the critics. She left very few records (only three photos of publication of scholarly works. There are no restrictions
her are known to exist, and only one letter); and, at the on who may apply or on the topics of applications, which
age of forty, she also entered an enclosed convent – will be judged on merit. Multiple applications in different
though she continued to work from there for another years will be considered with individual awards up to
twenty-five years. £500. See also the AHG website for details
Glass News 40 July 2016 (www.historyofglass.org.uk).

An application form may be downloaded from the
website, or can be obtained from the Honorary Secretary,
Denise Allen. Email: [email protected]

4

AHG Grant Report
The hand of the painter? Understanding medieval glass-painting

workshop organisation through scientific analysis

Laura Ware Adlington

Institute of Archaeology, University College London,
31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY
[email protected]

Introduction on the surface of an object, allowing the generation of
Medieval documents, such as that of Theophilus compositional data when it is impossible to take samples;
Presbyter (De Diversis Artibus), provide information it is far less expensive; and it is much faster, allowing
about the tools and technological steps involved in both more material to be characterised. Window glass is in
glass-making and the making of stained glass windows, many ways ideal for pXRF analysis as the sample
but our knowledge about the organisation of artistic material should be flat, level and homogeneous. The
production within the craft workshops that created the importance of pXRF for the study of window glass has
windows is more limited. already been demonstrated by the work of David
Dungworth and colleagues (Dungworth 2012 and other
Chemical analysis has the potential to provide important works).
insights in this area, but analysis is impeded by the
architectural context of the glass, rendering it impossible However, medieval glass is the exception. As Theophilus
to remove samples for laboratory analysis. Alternatively, detailed, medieval glass was made using a recipe of sand
we must rely on in situ surface techniques, such as and wood or fern ash, resulting in a glass low in silica
handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), which can and high in alkali (potash); this composition makes the
be problematic in its use for medieval stained glass. glass especially prone to deterioration through the
Therefore, another focus of this research is in the leaching of some elements, in particular potassium, from
development of a methodology using pXRF for the study the surface of the glass (De Bardi et al. 2013). This
of medieval stained glass. affects surface analyses by pXRF drastically because the
results are only characteristic of a small depth in to the
The Great East Window of York Minster sample and are therefore reporting the composition of the
This research benefits from the opportunities provided by corroded layer.
one of the largest conservation projects of its kind in
Europe, York Minster Revealed (https://yorkminster.org/ The depth of analysis by pXRF varies depending on the
york-minster-revealed.html), which has entailed the element being analysed, as heavier elements have higher
dismantling of the Great East Window (GEW). With the energy characteristic X-rays that are read from deeper
permission of the Dean and Chapter of York and the within the glass (Kaiser and Shugar 2012). Therefore,
support of the conservators of York Glaziers Trust, it has while lighter elements calcium and potassium are greatly
been possible to take samples for laboratory analysis of affected by surface conditions, heavy trace elements
the cross-sections and to analyse the glass using handheld strontium and rubidium are far less affected. These
pXRF. particular elements share properties and are naturally
associated with calcium and potassium respectively;
Surviving copies of the contract tell us that the GEW was strontium is introduced into the glass with the calcium-
created over a three year period between 1405 and 1408 rich raw material, and the same for rubidium with
by the influential glass-painter of the International Gothic potassium, and can therefore be measured instead as a
Style, John Thornton of Coventry, and his workshop "proxy" for the major elements.
(French 2003); this window is widely considered
Thornton's masterpiece (Marks 1993). The subject matter Therefore, this methodology is centred around the
is the 'beginning and end of all things', depicting the analysis of these trace elements, as they are well-
Books of Genesis and Revelations (Apocalypse). For the measured by pXRF and reflect differences in raw
pilot study, one panel (Panel 3b, see page 1) from the materials, technology as well as chronological and
Apocalypse cycle was selected. geological source.

Development of a methodology using pXRF A subset of the glass was also sampled for cross-sectional
Handheld pXRF has many advantages for use in analysis by electron microprobe, which provided high
archaeology and cultural heritage: it can be used directly quality data on the major elements and served to inform

Glass News 40 July 2016 5

and validate the analyses by pXRF. Analysis of this this research so far, though other findings related to the
control group verified that strontium and rubidium define organisation of production and other aspects of the life
the same compositional groups as calcium and potassium. history of the window (including glass-making and
sourcing the glass, and centuries of conservation post-
Organisation of artistic production construction) have been brought to light through this
The batch is an important concept in the study of research.
workshop practice and organisation of production. A
batch of glass refers to glass made from a single working This report is a summary of research presented at the
pot in a furnace, containing glass that is homogeneous; 20th AIHV congress held in Fribourg, Switzerland,
all the glass objects (in this case, sheets of glass) will be September 2015, with Ian Freestone and Nick Teed as
of an identical composition and can be identified co-authors.
analytically (Freestone et al. 2009). The batches were
identified using trace elements, and verified by the major References
element compositions of the control group. The spatial De Bardi, M., Wiesinger, R. and Schreiner, M. 2013.
distribution of the batches identified by pXRF were then ‘Leaching studies of potash-lime-silica glass with
examined and interpreted for organisation of production. medieval composition by IRRAS’. Journal of Non-
Crystalline Solids, 360(1), 57–63.
The spatial distribution of the batches indicate that the
frame was cut and painted separately from the interior Dungworth, D. 2012. ‘Historic windows: Investigation of
scene. This could reflect the workflow of a single composition groups with nondestructive pXRF’. Glass
craftsman, or alternatively reflect the work of two or Technology: European Journal of Glass Science and
more craftsmen. Other lines of evidence support the latter Technology Part A, 53(5), 192–197.
interpretation and furthermore suggest that this is the
work of differently skilled craftsmen, such as an Freestone, I.C., Price, J. and Cartwright, C.R. 2009. ‘The
apprentice and a master glass-painter. Batch: Its Recognition and Significance’. In K. Janssens
et al., (eds.) Annales du 17e Congrès de l’Association
Some aspects in windows such as the GEW were 'stock Internationale pour l'Histoire du Verre, Anvers 2006.
design features' that were not unique to a panel or Corning, NY: AIHV, 130–135.
window, but offered to supplement the individual design
requested by the patron (Marks 1993, 31). The frames fall French, T. 2003. York Minster: The Great East Window,
under this category: the frame found in 3b is found in Oxford: Oxford University Press.
four of the nine panels of this particular row.
Jackson, C.M. and Smedley, J.W., 2008. ‘Theophilus and
Visually, the frame has thicker lines and is less detailed the Use of Beech Ash as a Glassmaking Alkali’. In M.
than the interior, which has artistic value (bringing the Martinón-Torres and T. Rehren, (eds.) Archaeology,
frame into the foreground and contributing to the three- History and Science: Integrating Approaches to Ancient
dimensionality of the image), but also requires less skill. Materials. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 117–
This, along with the repetition, makes the frame ideal 130.
work for a lower-skilled craftsman, such as an apprentice.
Kaiser, B. and Shugar, A.N. 2012. ‘Glass analysis
This is therefore potential evidence of a hierarchal utilizing handheld X-ray fluorescence’. In A. N. Shugar
structure within the workshop, based on skill, experience and J. L. Mass, (eds.) Handheld XRF for Art and
and reputation. Archaeology. Studies in Archaeological Sciences.
Leuven: Leuven University Press, 449–470.
Final remarks
The new "proxy" methodology using heavy trace Marks, R., 1993. Stained Glass in England during the
elements strontium and rubidium has significant potential Middle Ages, London: Routledge.
in the study of medieval stained glass using handheld
pXRF. Further development of the methodology is an on- Theophilus, On Divers Arts: The foremost medieval
going focus of this research. treatise on painting, glassmaking and metalwork.
Translated from the Latin with introduction and notes by
The new evidence for the hierarchical organisation of J. Hawthorne and C. Smith. New York: Dover
production within the craft workshop that created the Publications, 1979.
GEW is amongst the more exciting results to stem from

Glass News 40 July 2016 6

AHG Grant Report

Overview of the current archaeometrical glass research at Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Andrea Ceglia

Department of Applied Physics and Photonics, Brussels Photonics Team B-PHOT,
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
[email protected]

I am grateful to the AHG for having financially supported polishing of the material with a hand-held rotatory tool to
me to attend the AIHV20 glass conference in Fribourg, remove dirt and the superficial weathering layers.
Switzerland. On this occasion I not only had the chance
of presenting a poster on a study of the production
technology of red glass tesserae, but foremost the grant
gave me the opportunity to listen to many interesting
talks who inspired me in my research in the fascinating
world of glass. Among others, I attended the keynote of
Prof. Ian Freestone in which I proudly took note my work
got extensively reported. In this brief contribution I will
give you an overview of my past and future work.

In July 2015 I completed my PhD entitled ‘Unravelling Photo taken in Paphos during the cleaning of a glass
technology and distribution of ancient glass by X-ray and fragments with a Dremel rotatory tool © Andrea Ceglia
UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy’. The aim of the
research was to carry out a thorough investigation of the Another outcome of my research on Cypriot glass
benefits and limitations of optical UV-vis-NIR derived from the chemical analysis of the major and
spectroscopy in the field of archaeometry of glass. To minor elements by EPMA. I recognized three major
perform this work I compared optical spectroscopy with groups, Levantine 1, HIMT and HLIMT. The latter is a
synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in label that stands for High Lime Iron Manganese Titanium
order to quantify Fe2+/Fe3+ in glass (Ceglia et al. 2015c). because it refers to a compositional group which has high
In addition I used chemical data from glass fragments to amount of lime but similar features of HIMT (Ceglia et
determine the link between optical parameters and the al. 2015a). It was very exciting when I compared this
compositional groups. material with data in the literature finding that it appears
commonly in later contexts, mostly related to the 6th
The archaeological application of my work focused on century. This information made me come up with the
early Christian contexts in Cyprus, 4th-7th century AD. I hypothesis of a chronological distribution of the glass
want to thank here Dr. Peter Cosyns who works on the compositions.
technology and typology of the Cypriot glass findings.
We combined our approaches to get the most out of the During my PhD I also worked together with Peter Cosyns
research on Cyrpiot glass. We worked on this region on another topic of his archaeological research: Roman
because the island was a hub of the trade and commercial black glass. We have investigated the case of the
routes between the East Mediterranean regions, such as deliberate addition of iron to produce black colour.
the Levant and Egypt and the rest of the Empire. Because of the high absorbance of these glasses, I
employed XAS. The study of black glass jewellery and
UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy was successfully applied vessels dated between the 1st and the 5th century AD
in-situ in the depots of Larnaca and Paphos, where I shows that there is a technological change at the end of
studied the material of three sites: Ayioi Pente at the 2nd century. Black glass was initially produced by
Yeroskipou, Maroni-Petrera and Kalavasos-Kopetra controlling the redox conditions in the glass melt, likely
(Ceglia et al. 2015b). The optical research proved that it adding reducing agents such as coal, ashes or minerals
is possible to link specific parameters, such as the UV like sulphides, while in later times the colour was
absorption and the content of Fe2+ to glass groups, obtained by large additions of iron minerals with no
identified by means of Electron Probe Micro Analyzer particular attention to the redox conditions (Ceglia et al.
(EPMA). The main benefit is that I could study many 2014).
more fragments than what would have been granted for
sampling. Of course the measurements require prior 7

Glass News 40 July 2016

Currently I am working in a close collaboration with http://doi.org/10.1039/c3ay42029a
Peter. I recently carried out an in-situ campaign on the
Cypriot early Christian basilica of Katalymata ton Ceglia, A., Cosyns, P., Nys, K., Terryn, H., Thienpont,
Plakoton, focusing this time on the glass window panes H., Meulebroeck, W. 2015a. Late antique glass
(re)used within the ecclesiastical building. Furthermore, I distribution and consumption in Cyprus: a chemical
am expanding my chronological expertise, since in the study. Journal of Archaeological Science, 61, 213–222.
same campaign I had the opportunity to study the http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2015.06.00
Hellenistic and early Roman glass from the house of
Orpheus in Paphos. The preliminary results will be Ceglia, A., Cosyns, P., Nys, K., Terryn, H., Thienpont,
presented on the international workshop “Reflections on H., Meulebroeck, W. 2015b. ‘Light through glass: The
glass” hold in Nottingham on September 17th 2016. An spectrum of Late Antique glass from Cyprus’. Journal of
ultimate line of research I am working on is the Archaeological Science: Reports.
characterization of Roman glass from different Belgian http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.09.024
sites, which will possibly offer new insight on the
consumption in this area of the ancient world. Ceglia, A., Nuyts, G., Meulebroeck, W., Cagno, S.,
Silvestri, A., Zoleo, A., Nys, K., Thienpont, H., Janssens,
References K., Terryn, H. 2015c. ‘Iron speciation in soda-lime-silica
glass: a comparison of XANES and UV-vis-NIR
Ceglia, A., Nuyts, G., Cagno, S., Meulebroeck, W., spectroscopy’. Journal of Analytical Atomic
Baert, K., Cosyns, P., Nys, K., Thienpont, H., Janssens, Spectrometry, 30(7), 1552–1561.
K., Terryn, H. 2014. ‘A XANES study of chromophores: http://doi.org/10.1039/C5JA00046G
the case of black glass’. Analytical Methods, 6(8), 2662-
2671.

AHG Grant Report
British Instruction at Japan’s First Western-style

Industrial Glassworks, 1874-1883

Sally Haden

Private researcher
[email protected]

If you are interested in glass and visit Japan, it is likely But when Japan was forced open by Western powers in
that within a few days you will hear of a certain the 1850s European goods were wanted, so the
glassworks that was established under British influence government created various model industrial plants,
in Shinagawa, Tokyo, in the early Meiji period. This is inviting foreign experts to help modernise industry in
because Japanese glass historians, manufacturers, artists, addition to every aspect of the country. At SGF, Speed
collectors and curators honour this factory as the seed of and his colleagues advised, assisted and instructed
Japan’s modern glass industry. Japanese glassmakers in every form of Western
glassmaking.
I first heard about the Shinagawa Glass Factory (SGF)
because of family history. My great grandfather, James The first goal for the factory was window glass for
Speed, was one of four British glassmakers who were Japan’s new Western-style buildings. But this proved
invited to Japan to help establish the country’s first very difficult and flat glass was in fact not achieved in
modern Western-style industrial glassworks between Japan until early in the 20th century. There was more
1874 and 1883. Until then, Japanese glassmaking had success with flint glass, of all types. Western designs,
been a small scale craft industry, very largely colours and methods were introduced, along with
unconscious of the great developments in European machine cutting and engraving, modern annealing and -
glassmaking because Japan had been closed to the perhaps most important of all - the general model of an
outside world for more than two centuries. Glass was industrial factory with mass production intended to
regarded as a precious material suitable only for religious supply both a domestic and an export market.
or high-status objects.
8
Glass News 40 July 2016

As the government had hoped, many of the trainees went
on to set up their own modern glassmaking businesses.
For example, Magoichi Shimada set up Shimada Glass
Company in Osaka, Japan’s largest tableware
manufacturer in the 20th century. The company stayed in
family hands through three generations, eventually
becoming part of today’s Toyo Glass Co.
www.toyo.sasaki.co.jp/e/company/history.html

Figure 2: Visiting the memorial for SGF © Sally Haden

It is remarkable how much respect Japanese glassmakers
have for SGF and the British men who taught there. I
understood this best when I was introduced to Mr
Yasuyuki Shimizu, President of Toyo Glass Co., and Mr
Toru Horiguchi of Horiguchi Glass Co., both most
enthusiastic about their companies’ connection with SGF.
Mr Horiguchi’s training descends directly from
Hauptmann (Figure 3).

Figure 1: Glass vase by Chuzaimon Ooshige, SGF Figure 3: Examples of modern Edo Kiriko glass © Sally
trainee. Colour overlay, wheel engraved, 22.3 x 9.5cm © Haden – with thanks to Tajima Glass Co., Tokyo

Sally Haden – with thanks to Shinagawa Historical They invited me to return to Japan to hear more about
Museum. their work, so plans are now underway to visit Horiguchi
Glass and Toyo Glass this autumn, for discussions,
Another significant result was the development of Edo research and the development of further plans. There will
Kiriko, a uniquely Japanese form of cut glass. This was be historic meetings with at least three great
first made in Tokyo in the 1830s, in imitation of a grandchildren of men whom my great grandfather taught
handful of imported British or Irish items, sometimes in Shinagawa, who are still connected to the glass
using hand tools. At SGF Japanese craftsmen received industry. Also an introduction to Professor Tanahashi, a
instruction from Bohemian-born British engraver, science expert on how Edo Kiriko was made before SGF.
Emanuel Hauptmann, on the use of engraving and cutting
machinery. Finally I should like to acknowledge the generous
support of my project partners, Ms Akiko Inoue Osumi of
Thanks to grants from the AHG, the Great Britain AGASJ and Mr Ritsuo Yoshioka of Japan Uranium Glass
Sasakawa Foundation and the Association for Glass Art Collectors Club, who have helped at every turn. With
Studies, Japan, (AGASJ), I was able to visit Tokyo last them I will continue to make the results of the work
autumn to give a lecture, meet glass manufacturers and known through written publications, my website
do some research. About 100 people attended the AGASJ www.hadenheritage.co.uk, lectures and exhibitions.
conference lecture (double the usual number) and I
visited the Shinagawa Historical Museum where I was 9
shown a vase engraved by one of Haupmann’s
apprentices (Figure 1).

Modern interest in the factory dates to the 1960s, a time
of growth and prosperity for Japanese glass
manufacturers. Confident of their future and with the
leisure to think about heritage, they created a memorial
beside the site of what had been SGF (Figure 2).

Glass News 40 July 2016

References Inoue, A. 2003. ‘British Influence on the Shinagawa
Glassworks - Japan’s First Industrial Glass Factory’.
Haden, S.E. 2013 ‘They went "to Annales of the 16th congress, London: AIHV.
larn ’em": British glassmakers
help to establish Japan's first Inoue, A. 2009. ‘Kogyosha and Shinagawa Glassworks
western-style glassworks, 1874- (1) - The Establishment of the First Western-style
1883.’ Glass Technology: Glassworks in Japan’, Glass, Journal of the Association
European Journal of Glass Science and Technology for Glass Art Studies, Japan, 53, (in Japanese), pp. 10-
A, 54(1), 25-30. 31.

Haden, S.E. 2014 ‘They went to larn ’em : How four Haden, S.E. and Inoue, A. 2016. ‘Kogyosha and
British glassmakers played a key part in the Governmental Shinagawa Glassworks (2) Backgrounds
modernisation of Japan’s glass industry in the late 19th of British Yatoi who came to train Japanese’, Glass,
century.’ Journal of The Glass Association. Journal of the Association for Glass Art Studies, Japan,
60, (in Japanese).

A Setting of Garnet or Glass: An examination of inlaid Garnet and Glass
on the 5th-7th century Metalwork of Kent

Walter Ahmet

Institute of Archaeology, University College London,
31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY
[email protected]

opaque red tesserae from Beit Shean, Israel (Shugar
2000, 379). It should be noted that this data comes from
a variety of analytical methods however it still gives a
good comparison of general patterns © Walter Ahmet

Figure 1: Compositional plot of garnet and possibly The garnet-inlaid jewellery and metalwork of Anglo-
glass inlays from the project. The garnets present a Saxon England has been described as ‘one of the chief
similar pattern to known compositions while the glass is glories of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship’ (Leahy 2003,
comparatively inconsistent and unclear, the two highest 160). The Sutton Hoo and Staffordshire Hoard
iron glass points are from inlays set into an iron frame assemblages would seem to confirm such an assertion.
while the next two highest are both opaque. Data plotted Key elements of this fabulous metalwork are contrasting
alongside Scandinavian and German garnets standards coloured glass inlays which, with one notable exception
from Deer et al. (1982, 499-605) and those used by (Bimson and Freestone 2000) have until recently been
Farges (1998, 327). Also shown is compositional data of relatively under-studied. The project described here,
Merovingian garnets assessed by Farges (1998, 327) and explores the relationship of garnet and glass on Anglo-
Perin et al. (2007, 71). Early medieval red glass Saxon metalwork of the 5th-7th centuries and was inspired
compositions from the transparent red from the Sutton by the discovery of a substantial number of coloured
Hoo millefiori (Bimson and Freestone 2000, 135), red- glass inlays on metalwork of the Staffordshire Hoard,
purple glass from the Staffordshire Hoard (Meek 2016), including garnet-mimicking red glass inlays (Magnoler
opaque red glass from Eriswell Hill beads (Peake and 2012, Meek 2016) and the relatively understudied nature
Freestone 2012, table 1) and 6th-7th century Byzantine of the topic in general. The polychrome garnet-inlaid
metalwork of Kent was chosen for study due to its wide
Glass News 40 July 2016 chronological spread and its relative frequent occurrence
in cemeteries for the Early Anglo-Saxon period (roughly
the late 5th- mid 7th centuries AD).

The project aimed to identify possible chronological
variation and frequency of garnet-mimicking glass inlays
(GMGIs). To accomplish this, as much information as

10

possible about the inlays, their parent objects and the positioning and supporting the delicate equipment and
context of their discovery would be needed. Material was the objects under examination. This problem could easily
selected from three relatively complete and well-recorded be remedied in future work with the application of a
cemetery assemblages: Bifrons (three miles south-east of column stand to allow subtle adjustments to the
Canterbury in the parish of Patrixbourne), Lyminge II instrument height.
(just north of the modern village of Lyminge, 5 miles
north-west of Folkestone) and The Meads Cemetery (just The second group to provide inconclusive data were
north-west of modern Sittingbourne). Details of every those for which background noise from the object
relevant find were recorded with information about obscured the composition of the inlay – usually because
associated grave goods, material composition etc. The it was too thin or below the 3 mm minimum diameter
inlays were then closely examined to establish their requirement of the focused pXRF beam. Despite
identity. To ensure an accurate identification a substantial background noise a strong iron/manganese
comparative examination employing both portable X-ray component was detected which, after discounting other
fluorescence (pXRF) composition data and digital contamination, allowed a garnet identification to on
microscopy was used to identify the material. This also occasion be suggested. Inconclusive data was a
provided a good opportunity to assess the relative particularly prevalent problem amongst the glass inlays.
effectiveness of the two methods in distinguishing Even when glass could be suggested through microscope
between garnet and glass. observation the data was often highly suspect compared
to that of the garnets and known early-medieval red
Figure 2: Late 5th – early 6th century Frankish glasses (see Fig. 1).
buckleplate from Lyminge II grave 36. Design dominated
by red glass of various shades, the majority of which In spite of initial challenges with the methodology 113
present with large turquoise inclusions and weathering. garnets, 96 glass, two white paste and one red carnelian
The top two magnifications show good examples of this. inlays were identified while 55 remained unidentified. Of
The bottom however shows an incredibly clear and the 96 glass inlays an astonishing 50 were of some kind
lustrous setting confirmed as a garnet with pXRF © of GMGI. This is far more than previous work would
Maidstone Museum and Bentiff Art Gallery suggest (Bimson 1978, 430; Bimson and Freestone 2000,
131; and Coatsworth and Pinder 2002, 150) (even if one
In total 267 extant inlays from 46 objects were examined, takes into account that about half of these come from just
of which the majority were available for digital two Frankish buckleplates from Lyminge II (See Fig. 2)).
microscopy and 127 for assessment with an Olympus
Delta pXRF device. Only eight pXRF readings The apparent high presence of red glass leads to a
contradicted the suggestions made with digital number of questions. First, why is it being used? The
microscope observations. Four of these results were suggestion for other assemblages, such as the
established as being misidentified during the digital Staffordshire hoard is that GMGIs are repairs for missing
microscope phase of work. The other four contradictions or broken garnets (Magnoler 2012). While this may be
could not be resolved, however in 35 cases the pXRF the case for some of the pieces examined during this
results were inconclusive so it may be better to class project; there are a number where this seems unlikely.
these four cases with these readings. The inconclusive The buckleplate shown in Figure 2 for example, is
group can be roughly split into two. The first returned no dominated by red glass and has only a small number of
viable or limited data due to improper placement of the garnets. In other cases it appears that the glass was used
pXRF beam which in turn was due to difficulty manually to create a composite inlay with a reused garnet during
the production of a new object. This can be seen on a pair
Glass News 40 July 2016 of mid-6th century square headed brooches from Lyminge
II grave 44, where an inlaid omega ladder pattern of
garnets along the bows (more typical of earlier Frankish
design traditions) employed composite glass and garnet
in places. Another possibility is that glass and garnet
inlays are being mixed together by unscrupulous or
indifferent craftsman/suppliers. If this last point is correct
it may go some way to answering the second important
question: where did this red glass come from? If the
garnet and glass are arriving at Anglo-Saxon workshops
mixed they may have all originated in the same central
cutting/polishing workshop in continental Europe as
proposed by Birgid Arrhenius (1985). Alternatively

11

GMGIs in this material could relate to the proposed Deer, W., Howie, R. and Zussman, J. 1982. Rock
insular production recently suggested for GMGIs in the Forming Minerals, vol. 1A: Orthosilicates, London:
Staffordshire Hoard (Meek 2016). Without more accurate Longmans.
compositional analysis of this corpus it is not sensible to
propose which is more likely. Farges, F. 1998. ‘Mineralogy of the Louvres
Merovingian garnet cloisonné jewelery: Origins of the
This project perhaps created more questions than it gems of the first kings of France’. American
answered, but it can now be stated, with a reasonable Mineralogist, 83, 323-330.
degree of certainty that the Kentish corpus, like that of
Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire Hoard contain a number Leahy, K. 2003. Anglo-Saxon crafts. Stroud: Tempus.
garnet-mimicking glass inlays. It also seems likely that
both the garnet and glass were being reused to extend the Magnoler, D. 2012. ‘The Glass in the Staffordshire
supplies of both materials. Future work will hopefully Hoard’. Accessed on 15 July:
begin to answer the questions raised and begin to fit these http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/the-glass-in-the-
discoveries into the wider picture of garnet jewellery and staffordshire-hoard
material reuse of Early Medieval Europe.
Meek, A. 2016. ‘Ion beam analysis of glass inlays from
References the Staffordshire Hoard’, Journal of Archaeological
Arrhenius, B. 1985. Merovingian Garnet Jewellery, Science: Reports, 7, 324-329.
emergence and social implications, Stockholm: Almqvist
och Wiksell International. Peake, J. and Freestone, I. 2012. ‘Cross-Craft interactions
between metal and glass workshops: slag additions to
Bimson, M. 1978. ‘Coloured glass and millefiori in the early Anglo-Saxon red glass’. In: Maulebroeck, W., Nys,
Sutton Hoo Ship Burial’. Annales du 7e congrès K., Vanclooster, D. and Thienpont, H. (eds) Integrated
international d'etude historique du verre, Liège: Editions Approaches to the Study of Historical Glass - IAS12,
du Secretariat Général. Proceedings of SPIE, v.8422.

Bimson M. and Freestone I. 2000. ‘Analysis of some Perin, P., Calligaro, T., Vallet, F., Poirot, J-P. and
glass from Anglo-Saxon jewellery’. In: Price J. (ed.) Bagault, D. 2007. ‘Provenancing Merovingian garnets by
2000. Glass in Britain and Ireland, AD 350–1100. British PIXE and µ-Raman spectrometry’. In: Henning, J. (ed.)
Museum Occasional Paper 127, London: British Post-Roman Towns, Trade and Settlement in Europe and
Museum Press, 131-136. Byzantium. Vol. 1 The Heirs of the Roman West. New
York: Walter de Gruyter.
Coatsworth, E. and Pinder, M. 2002. The Art of the
Anglo-Saxon Goldsmith, Martlesham: Boydell Press. Shugar, A. 2000. ‘Byzantine Opaque Red Glass Tesserae
From Beit Shean, Israel’. Archaeometry, 42(2), 375-384.

AHG Grant report:

High-Boron Glass Bracelets from a Middle Byzantine settlement in Southern Turkey

Carolyn Swan

UCL-Qatar, a partner of Hamad bin Khalifa University
[email protected]

A group of glass bracelets from 10th-12th century AD project, and the results of this study showed that many of
contexts at a small fortified settlement on the the glass bracelets were made from an unusual type of
southernmost Byzantine-Islamic frontier (al-thughūr) glass containing high levels of the trace element boron.
have revealed some surprising chemical characteristics. Intriguingly, none of the vessels were made of this high-
The bracelets were analysed together with fragments of boron glass variety. In order to test these results,
vessel glass excavated near Kinet Höyük at the Tupraş additional samples of vessel and bracelet glass were
Field site, which has been identified as the settlement of collected in 2013 and analyzed in 2015 with the help of a
Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt described by Early Islamic geographers. generous grant from the AHG.
The glass from the site was typologically and chemically
assessed in 2010-2012 as part of a doctoral dissertation

Glass News 40 July 2016 12

Figure 1: Examples of the 10th-12th c. glass bracelets Bracelets enjoyed great popularity during the Middle
excavated at Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt, Turkey © Carolyn Swan Byzantine era, and the finds at Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt show that
even the inhabitants of a small fortified settlement on the
A major aim of the chemical analysis of ancient glass is southernmost frontier of the empire were keeping up with
to reconstruct ancient technologies, production groups, the latest fashion trends (Figure 1). The typological
and circulation networks for different fabric types. similarities of the Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt bracelets with examples
Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass from the Balkans and Anatolia rather than with the
Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has become a popular Islamic world, combined with the unique high-boron
method of analysis precisely because it allows the glass fabric, might be suggestive of a product that is truly
quantification of trace elements necessary for the better “Byzantine.” This is an exciting possibility, considering
discrimination of different glass types. The use of this the traditional dominance of places like Syria-Palestine
technique has led to the increased identification of glass and Egypt in glassmaking history.
with a high boron content. Although Robert Brill first
noted the elevated boron levels in some ancient glasses in In summary, two subtypes of high-boron glass have been
the late 1960s, his observation went largely unnoticed identified for the glass bracelets of Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt: one
until the last five years. LA-ICP-MS analyses of glass group has high boron, lithium, and alumina while the
artefacts from the city of Pergamon have been shown to other group has very high boron, lithium, and strontium
contain high levels of boron, and might indicate an (Table 1). A full interpretive report of the analytical
industry origin in western Anatolia (Schibille 2011; results of the glass bracelets and a discussion of the
Rehren et al. 2015; Tite et al. 2016); these studies are production context is being prepared for publication. I am
thus defining a new technological group as well as very grateful to the AHG for its support, making this
demonstrating its significance. research possible.

The glass bracelets from Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt offer new Selected references
evidence for the existence and circulation of high-boron Brill, R. H. 1999. Chemical Analyses of Early Glasses.
glass types. What makes the Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt assemblage Vol. 1: the Catalogue and Vol. 2: the Tables. Corning,
special is the light it can perhaps also shed on production New York: The Corning Museum of Glass.
and distribution patterns of glass within the Byzantine
world. Glass bracelets are a form of material culture that Brill, R. H. 2002. ‘Chemical analyses of various glasses
is widespread, both spatially and chronologically. excavated in Greece’. In: Kordas, G. (ed), Hyalos-
Vitrum-Glass, 1st International Conference: History,
Glass News 40 July 2016 Technology and Conservation of Glass and Vitreous
Materials in the Hellenic World, Athens, Glasnet
Publications, pp. 11-19.

Brill, R. H. 2005. ‘Chemical analyses of the Zeyrek
Camii and Kariye Camii glass.’ Dumbarton Oaks Papers,
59: 213-230.

Eger, A. 2010. ‘Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt on the Islamic-Byzantine
frontier: synthesis and the 2005-2008 survey and
excavation on the Cilician plain (Turkey).’ Bulletin of the
American Schools of Oriental Research, 357: 49-76.

Ristovska, N. 2009. “Distribution Patterns of Middle
Byzantine Painted Glass.” In: Mango, M. M. (ed),
Byzantine Trade, 4th-12th Centuries: the Archaeology of
Local, Regional, and International Exchange,
Burlington, VT, Ashgate, 199-220.

Rehren, Th., Connolly, P., Schibille, N., and H.
Schwarzer. 2015. ‘Changes in glass consumption in
Pergamon (Turkey) from Hellenistic to late Byzantine
and Islamic times.’ Journal of Archaeological Science,
55: 266-279.

13

Schibille, N. 2011. ‘Late Byzantine mineral soda high d’Association Internationale pour l’Histoire du Verre
alumina glasses from Asia Minor: a new primary glass (AIHV), Piran/Slovenia.
production group.’ PLoS ONE, 6(4), e18970.
Tite, M., Shortland, A. J., Schibille, N., and P. Degryse.
Swan, C. 2012. In Flux: Glass, Technology, and the 2016. ‘New data on the soda flux used in the production
Glassmaking Industry of the Middle Byzantine and Early of Iznik glazes and Byzantine glasses’. Archaeometry,
Islamic (8th-12th centuries CE) Eastern Mediterranean— 58(1), 57-67.
the Archaeology and Archaeometry of a High
Temperature Craft. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation,
The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the
Ancient World, Brown University.

Swan, C. 2012. ‘Scientific investigation of middle
byzantine glass bracelets from Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt, Southern
Turkey. New evidence for high alumina and high boron
glasses.’ Poster Presentation at the 19e Congrès

SiO2 Na2O K2O MgO Al2O3 CaO FeO TiO2 P2O5 MnO B Li Sr

Vessels: 71.3 14.05 0.56 0.70 2.96 9.28 0.50 0.05 0.12 0.05 64 4 321
mineral soda types

Vessels: 67.1 13.25 2.33 3.31 1.84 9.73 0.61 0.05 0.37 0.94 88 12 537
plant ash types

Bracelets: 68.1 12.35 2.40 2.46 2.05 9.28 0.73 0.06 0.41 1.62 80 7 520
without high boron

Bracelets: 56.4 19.53 4.20 3.59 9.79 4.31 1.69 0.06 0.25 0.08 1661 109 188
high boron, lithium, alumina

Bracelets: 64.9 14.62 1.60 2.66 2.67 11.09 2.39 0.07 0.11 0.07 2509 466 1995
higher boron, lithium, and strontium

Table 1: Average group composition for the high-boron glass bracelets from Ḥiṣn al-Tīnāt, Turkey, in comparison with
the average composition of 8th-12th century CE vessel glass from the same site (reported as wt% for oxides and ppm for

elements)

The Origins of Fibre Optics

Alan E. Comyns

Formerly Assistant Development Manager, British Titan Products
[email protected]

Fibre optic communication was a British invention. Titan Products in Stockton-on-Tees was skilled in
Although fibre optics had been used for many years for making super-pure titanium dioxide for research. We
transmitting light and images for various applications, were able to do so because we had a solid-source mass-
mostly medical, it was the research lab of Standard spectrometer which could measure the concentrations of
Telephones and Cables in Harlow, Essex, which first transition metals in titania at less than 1 ppm. So Mark
suggested using glass optical fibres for communication. asked me if BTP would make samples of very pure
Kao and Hockham of STC published their paper in Proc. oxides for their use in glass making. We signed a contract
Inst. Elec. Eng. in 1966. Forty three years later, Kao was with the Post Office to provide kilogram quantities of
to receive half a Nobel prize for this work. Kao and certain pure oxides. The actual contractor was Titanium
Hockham collaborated with the Post Office Research Intermediates Ltd (TIL), a subsidiary of BTP, which
Station in Dollis Hill, North London. It was always made and sold metal alkoxides. I do not know which
realised that in order to be sufficiently transparent, the oxides were chosen in addition to silica, because I left
glass would have to be exceptionally free from transition BTP in 1968 before the laboratory work was started. The
metal impurities, so the glass would have to be made first deliveries of kilogram quantities of pure oxides were
from very pure ingredients. One of the chemists (possibly made to the new Martlesham Heath laboratories of BT,
the only chemist) at Dollis Hill was Dr Mark Faktor, a probably in 1969.
former student of Don Bradley at Birkbeck College,
London. Both Mark and Don were old friends of mine A consortium for developing low-loss optical fibres was
and they knew that my research department at British formed in 1969; its members were the British Post

Glass News 40 July 2016 14

Office, STC, the Scottish company Barr and Stroud City of Light (1999); but he was mistaken in assuming
(which made optical equipment), and British Titan that British Titan Products used neutron activation for
Products (which made titanium dioxide pigments). It is analysing a piece of Corning fibre, they were not
unclear how often the consortium met or when it was equipped for this.
disbanded.
Reference
Then, in 1970, Corning announced their “soot” process
for making silica fibre preforms (US patents 3,711,262; Hecht, J. 1999. The Story of Fiber Optics, Oxford:
3,737,292), and the rest is history. The history is Oxford University Press.
recounted in Chapter 11 of Jeff Hecht’s excellent book
scale, it is rare to find such good model books from the
NEW BOOKS 18th century.

Hand-drawn model book The model book from 1763
from Nøstetangen In the mid-1760s production had become so extensive
Glassworks 1763 that it was necessary to have an illustrated model book,
– an industrial-historic often with coloured drawings, giving the names and
document in facsimile prices. The model book is drawn by hand, and six copies
are known, dated 1763, 1764 and 1774. They are all
Glashistorisk Selskab Aalborg slightly different, but all drawn by Ip Olufsen Weyse,
Post box 345, DK-9100 letter and stamp engraver, in Copenhagen. The format is
Aalborg, Denmark approximately A4, and consists of more than 360 pages,
[email protected] all in stiff half-leather binding. Five copies are in Norway
www.gsaa.dk (in Bergen, Hadeland and Oslo), and there is one in the
+45 2539 0146 Royal Library in Copenhagen which was never
completed, however.
ISBN 978-87-993613-6-6
Pages from the catalogues Kgl. Mund Glas Chrystal and
€100 (inc. P&P) Grev Molkes Caraffer Chrystal

Introduction The model book includes about 600 different glass items,
In Denmark, production of glass in the Renaissance of which the majority are illustrated in fine coloured
ceased in the middle of the 17th century because of the drawings. Several of the glasses have been named after
wars with Sweden and the resulting poor economic the person who originally ordered them. Examples are
situation. From then on, people managed with imported “Hoffets Dessert” (Court Dessert), “Hoffets Slebne Wand
goods. Caraffer” (Court cut water carafes), “Count Molke’s no
1” and “Gersdorf’s formed Caraffer,” just to mention a
Nøstetangen Glassworks was established on the initiative few.
of the king in 1739, together with several other industries,
in an effort to make the twin monarchy of Norway and 15
Denmark more self-sufficient.

To begin with, glassmakers were brought in from the
German region, and they introduced the continental
European style to Norway. Some years later, they were
joined by glassmakers from England, who brought their
own English style with them. These two very different
traditions melted together into a style that was uniquely
Danish and Norwegian. Production was large and varied,
as can be seen from a hand-drawn model book, which
today would be called a catalogue. Even on a European

Glass News 40 July 2016

The reproductions waste has made it possible to study the various processes
A facsimile of the model book has now been produced in from the preparation of the raw materials in the form of
full size (20x30 cm), and consists of 432 pages. The cullet, broken vessel and window glass, to the blowing
publication includes a text with comments and analysis in and finishing of the vessel. All the glass originated
Danish and English by Jan Kock MA, Associate ultimately in the eastern Mediterranean, some of it
Professor emeritus, Aarhus University. The publication arriving as raw glass chunks, which was supplemented by
was supported by a number of funds. cullet collected locally for recycling. A review of the
current evidence for glass working in London also
To order the book by e-mail: [email protected] examines the implications for the organisation of the
Price: €60 plus €40 postage and packing for delivery in industry.
Europe. Total €100.
http://www.mola.org.uk/publications/glass-working-
Please pre-pay the amount into the company’s account in margins-roman-london-excavations-35-basinghall-street-
SparNord Bank: IBAN DK6092962465737215 city-london-2005
Swift/BIC: SPNODK22
Contact us
In the ‘Message to beneficiary’ field please write:
NORGE 1763 and your name and address. Honorary Secretary: Denise Allen, 12 Birchy
Barton Hill, Exeter EX1 3ET, UK.
Further information please contact: Jan Kock, Tel.: +45 Email: [email protected]
2093 0468; mail: [email protected]
If you are not computer-connected and would
Jan Kock like further information or to be put into contact
with anyone concerning any of the items in Glass
Glass working on the News please write to either of the editors, or the
margins of Roman Honorary Secretary.
London: excavations at
35 Basinghall Street, City See the website for updated information:
of London, 2005 www.historyofglass.co.uk

Angela Wardle Please send your contributions:
with Ian Freestone, Malcolm Finds • Research • Ideas • Enquiries
McKenzie and John Shepherd Publications • Conferences • News
MOLA Monograph Series 70
MOLA, 2015 for Glass News 41
by
ISBN 978-1-907586-33-0
25th November 2016
£20
to either of the editors:
Excavations in the upper Walbrook valley, in a marginal
area in the north-west of the Roman city, recovered over Rachel Tyson
70 kg of broken vessel glass and production waste from a [email protected]
nearby workshop, giving new insights into the workings
of the glass industry and its craftsmen. The area was or
developed in the early 2nd century AD, with evidence of
domestic buildings and property boundaries. Two later Andrew Meek
buildings constructed in the mid-2nd century AD may The British Museum
have been associated with the glass-working industry. Great Russell Street
The disposal of a huge amount of glass-working waste in London WC1B 3DG
the later 2nd century signals the demise of the workshop, [email protected]
with the area reverting to open land by the 3rd century
AD. The comprehensive nature of the glass-working 16

Glass News 40 July 2016