The Early History of Glassmaking in the Venetian Lagoon: A Microchemical Investigation
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The Early History of Glassmaking in the Venetian Lagoon: A Microchemical Investigation Jennifer L. Mass and John A. Hunt1 Conservation Department, Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware 19735, U.S.A. 1 Cornell Center for Materials Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A. ABSTRACT The compositions of well-dated archaeological glasses from the Northern Adriatic have been determined to learn more about the origins of the Renaissance Venetian glassmaking industry. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) was used to characterize thirty-seven late antiquity (5th – 7th centuries) glass finds from Torcello, an island located five miles to the northwest of the Rialtine islands that make up modern Venice. The late antiquity glass data was used in conjunction with two groups of medieval glass data, a predominately 6th –10th centuries Torcello group analyzed by Brill and an 8th-14th centuries Venetian lagoon group analyzed by Verità to gain insight into the technological evolution of glassmaking in the lagoon. The three data sets were then examined within the context of archaeological evidence for a medieval glass furnace complex at Torcello. Our data on the late antiquity glasses reveals that a decline in Roman-style glassmaking technology during this period may have contributed to Venice’s late medieval and Renaissance glassmaking innovations. INTRODUCTION
Renaissance Venice’s internationally renowned glassmaking industry has been well studied, but the medieval and late antiquity origins of this industry are unclear. This paper will review current theories on the origins of the Renaissance Venetian industry, and examine these theories in the context of compositional data on recently excavated glasses from Torcello, an island in the Venetian lagoon. This paper is the third publication in a series of technical studies of late antiquity glasses from the Venetian lagoon [1,2]. Analyses 97-13 through 97-26 were discussed in the two previous publications, and analyses 97-27 through 97-48 and 99-32 through 99-66 are being reported here for the first time. A forthcoming publication by Verità et al. reports on glassmaking technology in the Venetian lagoon in the 7th - 13th centuries [3]. The Renaissance Venetian glassmaking industry – technological and artistic significance The prominence of Venice’s Renaissance glassmaking industry has frequently been attributed to the delicate and elaborate vessel forms produced by the glassmakers of this era. These forms included ornate vases, goblets, flasks, ewers, and beakers, all prepared from a uniquely brilliant and colorless glass fabric. The artistic achievements of the Renaissance Venetian glassmaking industry can only be fully appreciated, however, through an examination the industry’s technological achievements. Renaissance Venetian glasses, like ancient Roman glasses, have soda-lime-silica base compositions. The main differences between the Venetian and ancient Roman glass compositions arise from the Venetians having employed a different source of soda (Na2O).
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