Compositional distinctions between 16th century çon-de-Venise’ and Venetian glass vessels excavated in Antwerp, Belgium

Abstract

At the beginning of the 16th century, Antwerp was one of the most important ports in Europe. Among the archaeological finds that are dated to this period of great wealth, an important number of fragments from luxurious glass vessels have been found. In view of the high price of finished Venetian glassware, it is unlikely that all the Antwerp glass finds are Venetian products. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether there was a significant local production of ‘facon-de-Venise’ glass vessels in Antwerp in the 16th century and to elucidate how this local production can be distinguished from ‘real’ (i.e., imported) Venetian ware. The analysis results for 122 ‘facon-de-Venise’ glass objects excavated in Antwerp were considered. Clustering of the Antwerp data revealed five compositional groups. Two groups of glass objects were found that feature a typical Venetian composition, one with a ‘Cristallo’-like composition and the other closely resembling ‘Vitrum Blanchum’ glass. The other three compositional groups contain glasses that probably were fabricated locally. The composition of a waste glass marble coincides with one of these groups. The differences between these three groups may indicate that different types of alkali were in use or possibly mixing of alkali types by the glass workers. The same non-Venetian composition was found in London, Amsterdam and various locations in France, which may be explained by the export of locally manufactured ‘facon-de-Venise’ vessels from Antwerp to these nearby cities or by the use of similar fluxes/flux mixtures to those in Antwerp.