Recipes and experimentation? The transmission of glassmaking techniques in Medieval Iberia

Govantes-Edwards, David; Duckworth, Chloë N.; Córdoba, Ricardo

doi:10.1080/17546559.2016.1209779

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The study of the recipes from arcana presents the most promising way to gain knowledge about the historical glass production. [15][16][17][18] There are several batch books that belonged to glassmakers in regions such as the British Isles (as revealed by Colin Brain in a private oral communication), the United States of America (as can be consulted at the Rakow Research Library of Corning Museum of Glass), France, 19 and Spain 20 among others. In Portugal, there are three known arcana with a chronology dated to between the 18th and the 20th centuries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproducing crystal glass from three 18th‐20th centuries Portuguese glass arcana

Santos

Vilarigues

Dabas

et al. 2020

Int J of Appl Glass Sci

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The present work aims to study the glasses commonly named crystal glass produced in Portuguese factories from the 18th to the 20th centuries through their arcana or batch books. Recipes for colorless crystal glasses were selected, analyzed, and reproduced in the laboratory. Five recipes were chosen from the Marinha Grande arcanum, five recipes from the Gaivotas’ Factory arcanum, and three recipes from the Castro and Oliveira Guerra arcanum. To characterize the composition and thermal‐physical properties of reproduced glasses, different analytical techniques were used such as micro‐energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence, µ‐ Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, dilatometry, Vickers hardness, optical microscopy, and UV‐Vis absorbance spectroscopy. The selected recipes were proven viable for reproduction and the obtained glasses presented good thermal properties that allow the workability and creation of objects. It was also proven that there is a similarity in terms of chemical composition to some of the historical glasses attributed to Portuguese production in Portuguese museums.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproducing crystal glass from three 18th‐20th centuries Portuguese glass arcana

Santos

Vilarigues

Dabas

et al. 2020

Int J of Appl Glass Sci

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“…In the Iberian Peninsula, Medieval glass recipes were spread in different technical treatises . Among them, the Manuscript H‐490 is one of the most prominent .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some previous studies reproduced Mesopotamian glasses from ancient recipes and different procedures from the 14th century treatise by Antonio de Pisa . By contrast, a recipe from the treatise Epistola Abbreviatora , written by Don Christóforo of Soto Mayor in the 16th century, was attempted but not successfully reproduced …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Iberian Peninsula, Medieval glass recipes were spread in different technical treatises. 4 Among them, the Manuscript H-490 is one of the most prominent. 5 Juan de Celaya, the supposed author, worked in the University of Salamanca, the oldest university in Spain and the third oldest university in the world, and he could have made the compilation between 1460 and 1480.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 By contrast, a recipe from the treatise Epistola Abbreviatora, written by Don Christ oforo of Soto Mayor in the 16th century, was attempted but not successfully reproduced. 4 The main objective of this work was the interpretation, reproduction, and characterization of the four recipes for glass from the Manuscript H-490 preserved in the l' Ecole de M edicine of Montpellier University (France). These experiments bring new insights into the technique of medieval glass production, demonstrating the high impact of such a transdisciplinary methodology for the study of historical materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pigments, vinegar, and blood: Interpretation and reproduction of glassy materials from the medieval manuscript H‐490

Palomar¹,

Hidalgo

Vilarigues³

2018

Int J of Appl Glass Sci

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The research on manuscripts provides useful information about the artistic/technical production and the scientific development in the past. However, the reproduction of the ancient recipes is difficult because most of them are described generally or they hide essential information to preserve the production secrets. In this study, four different recipes from the medieval Manuscript H‐490 (École de Médicine of Montpellier University, France) were reproduced. The raw materials and the production process of each recipe were discussed from the point of view of the glassmaking, and the final products were characterized. The recipe (31) indicated the preparation of a white glaze, similar to Islamic frits. The recipes (32) and (33) explained the preparation of an “unbreakable” glass; however, the characterization of the final products showed that no changes in the hardness of the glass were obtained. And the recipe (34) described the preparation of a green glass which was successfully obtained.

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The glass from the arrabal of Arrixaca (Murcia, 12th-13th centuries)

Govantes-Edwards,

Velo,

Hernández-Robles

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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This article presents an assemblage of 36 glass samples excavated in the urban site of San Esteban, part of the arrabal of Arrixaca (Murcia) (in al-Andalus, an arrabal was a relatively dense urbanised area outside the city walls) in contexts securely dated to the 12th and early 13th century, spanning the rule of Ibn Mardanīš, and the early period of Almohad domination in the city. The samples were analysed by electron microprobe (EMPA) for major and minor elements and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for trace elements. The results are examined within the context of glass production, circulation, and consumption in al-Andalus and the Islamicate Mediterranean more broadly. The results show that some of the glasses found in San Esteban-Arrixaca may have been imported from other Islamicate regions (Egypt and Mesopotamia), but that the vast majority can be related to previously recognised compositional Iberian glass groups. At the same time, the identification of several fragments of production waste and raw glass suggest that some glass-working facility may have existed in the vicinity of San Esteban-Arrixaca. The compositional evidence also indicates that recycling (including of imported glass objects) may have been a fairly common practice in Andalusi glassmaking, but it is suggested that some of the usual chemical markers of recycling may, in the case of al-Andalus and perhaps also elsewhere in the medieval Mediterranean, be the result of the cross-breeding of glass- and glaze-making activities.

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Recipes and experimentation? The transmission of glassmaking techniques in Medieval Iberia

Cited by 11 publications

References 13 publications

Reproducing crystal glass from three 18th‐20th centuries Portuguese glass arcana

Reproducing crystal glass from three 18th‐20th centuries Portuguese glass arcana

Pigments, vinegar, and blood: Interpretation and reproduction of glassy materials from the medieval manuscript H‐490

The glass from the arrabal of Arrixaca (Murcia, 12th-13th centuries)

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