Fragments of luxury: Decorated glass from the Palace of Mystras, Greece

Abstract

An assemblage of luxurious glass findings from the Palace of Mystras, Lakonia, Greece, was analysed via SEM/EDS and Raman spectroscopy, aiming to determine their raw materials, manufacturing technology and likely provenance. Twenty five fragments of everyday use objects of exceptional quality were studied. All fragments are decorated (with white and blue trail or canes, enameled or filigrana glass). Their date cannot be determined with specificity but has to span between the mid 13th and mid 19th c. AD, the period since the construction of the site and throughout its continuous use as the administrative centre of the Despotate of Mystras.The examination of the glass body resulted in the distinction between two groups: soda and potash glass. The provenance of the soda glass cannot be specifically determined, but production in multiple workshops seems likely, based on the relative heterogeneity of the composition. The presence of manganese as a decolourant suggests that they probably date before the 17th c.All potash glasses are enameled and likely originating from Bohemia. The examination of the enamels further corroborates the likely provenance from Bohemia, since the enamels are produced using different manufacturing processes than the Islamic and Venetian. Overall, it seems that this group of glasses was selectively imported to Mystras to cover specific stylistic preferences of the higher ranking members of the Palace, as suggested by the recovery of the samples from Building E, the administrative centre of the Palace Complex.The present study contributes to the acquisition of new knowledge about the post-Byzantine glass production and trade in southern Greece. Further analyses will provide with significant insights into the commercial, artistic and technological interactions of Mystras with the Ottoman Empire and Europe.