Tesserae Recycling in the Production of Medieval Blue Window Glass

Bidegaray, Anne Isabelle; Pollard, A. Mark

doi:10.1111/arcm.12350

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Little inferences have been made so far. We may suggest two possibilities: i) the recycling of ancient soda-type glasses as was available in Europe until the 12 th century (Cox and Gillies, 1986) in low proportions such as significant characteristic impurities are not detected (Bidegaray and Pollard, 2018) or ii) use of sodium-rich seaweed ashes in addition to wood ashes (Adlington et al, 2019;Tite et al, 2006;Wedepohl et al, 2011a).…”

Section: 31mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thirteenth-century stained glass windows of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris: An insight into medieval glazing work practices

Hunault

Bauchau

Boulanger

et al. 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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The restoration of the four northern windows of the 13th century Sainte-Chapelle in Paris from 2011 to 2014 has offered a unique opportunity to investigate the chemical composition and color of medieval glasses. This impressive corpus, covering a total surface of 660m 2 , was created in a record time of a few years. The glasses from ten selected panels were analyzed using non-destructive and non-invasive techniques, with a specific consideration for the color of the glasses. Ion beam analyses performed at the New AGLAE facility enabled revealing that all ancient glasses are potash type glasses made from plant ashes, likely beech, in agreement with previous results on off-site panels. The multivariate analysis of major and minor elements demonstrates the presence of compositional clusters with a small variability suggesting the identification of bundles of glasses. The coloration of the glasses was measured by optical absorption spectroscopy, using a mobile spectrophotometer over the entire UV-visible-NIR energy range. The color palette is made of six colors assigned to typical medieval recipes. The chromophores of the different glasses are identified by combining the chemical composition, optical absorption spectroscopy and colorimetry. Colorless, yellow and purple glasses arise from the subtle redox equilibrium between manganese and iron. Their reduced usage shows their uncertain production. Blue glasses are colored by Co 2+ using saffre from the contemporary German mines, green glasses are colored by Cu 2+ and Fe 3+ using high concentrations of copper and red glasses are striated glass colored by metallic copper nanoparticles. Glass matrix and chromophores form compositional clusters, which are spread among the panels of the four windows suggesting that the glazing of these four windows was run simultaneously by the same atelier using the same supply of glass.

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Section: 31mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thirteenth-century stained glass windows of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris: An insight into medieval glazing work practices

Hunault

Bauchau

Boulanger

et al. 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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“…Dramatic changes in the sources of cobalt occurred in western Europe at the end of the twelfth century, when cobalt mines in central Europe began to be exploited [11,39]. The European cobalt ore is associated with high zinc and elevated indium concentrations.…”

Section: New European and Islamic Cobalt Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in the Signature of Cobalt Colorants in Late Antique and Early Islamic Glass Production

2018

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Prior to the eighteenth century, cobalt was exclusively employed as a colouring agent for vitreous materials, and its use appears to be concurrent with the earliest large-scale production of glass during the Late Bronze Age (LBA). LBA cobalt deposits with a distinctive elemental signature have been identified in the oases of the western Egyptian desert, while cobalt mines in Kashan (Iran) and in the Erzgebirge (Germany) are known to have been exploited during the later Middle Ages. For most of the first millennium BCE and CE, however, the identity of cobalt sources and their supply patterns remain elusive. The aim of this study is to characterise the chemical composition of cobalt colorants used during the first millennium CE. Compositional variations indicate the use of different raw materials and/or production processes, which in turn has implications for the underlying exchange networks. Using mainly correlations between cobalt, nickel and zinc as discriminants, our results show that the compositional signature of cobalt underwent two major changes. An increase in the CoO/NiO ratios occurs between the late fourth and the beginning of the sixth century, while a new zinc-rich source of cobalt begins to be exploited during the second half of the eighth century in the Islamic world.

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“…Kernel density estimates have so far been rarely applied in archaeological lead isotope studies (e.g. Bronk Ramsey et al 2015;Hsu et al 2018;Bidegaray & Pollard 2018). Here, the relative probability that an object is made of ore from a certain source is indicated by calculating the definite integral under the kernel density estimate plot of the lead isotope composition of copper ores from different mining districts, using R © software and legacy data for the mines.…”

Section: Analysing the Chlorakas-palloures Copper Artefactsmentioning

confidence: 99%