Occari, Veronica; (2022) Medieval glass from Venice: technology, raw materials and trade with the eastern Mediterranean. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The emergence of Venice as one of the major centres of glassmaking in the Middle Ages depended on several factors, one of which was certainly the use of high-quality raw materials, including raw glass, plant ash and sand, often imported from the eastern Mediterranean. While some information on the type of raw materials used and their sources can be found in the Archives of Venice, mentions are sporadic and evidence from the glass is required to evaluate their relative importance. Very few chemical analyses of medieval archaeological finds from Venice are available to compare with the historical evidence, and moreover, most studies have focused on the ‘mature’ Venetian glassmaking industry of the 15th-17th centuries. Furthermore, the exchange in raw materials, technology and whole vessels with the Islamic world has meant that medieval Islamic and Venetian glass share a very similar composition, hampering the possibility to chemically distinguish between the two traditions on the basis of major and minor oxides composition. The present PhD thesis seeks to understand the development of the medieval glassmaking industry in Venice, investigating the technological practices, the raw materials procurement, and the connection with the eastern Mediterranean. This is achieved through the accurate chemical and isotopic characterisation of glass samples from the sites of Venice, Padova, Asolo and Cividale del Friuli, dated mainly between the 12th and the 15th century. The samples have been analysed using EPMA and LA-ICP-MS for major, minor and trace element analysis, while strontium, neodymium and hafnium isotopic analyses were done by Multicollector-ICP-MS. The results obtained through chemical analysis have been used to identify compositional markers for Venetian glass, and to delineate the use of different recipes and of raw materials of different provenance. The compositional data have been compared with the information from available written evidence, especially that found in the Archives of Venice. The famous group of the Aldrevandin beakers, Mamluk enamelled vessels and glass from the crusader sites of Akko and Apollonia have also been analysed for comparison. This study is the first to provide a complete chemical characterisation of medieval glass samples from Venice. The chemical data have been used in combination with the written evidence available, yielding insights not only on the provenance of the raw materials, but on the types of recipes used and for which products, as well as on issues such as standardisation and specialisation.

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