Glass-blowing Production Models in Museum Expositions

Abstract

Glassware in the territory of Ukraine is very old, and it reaches the limits of the 4-3rdmillennium BC, samples of glass beads from Usatovo and Yamna burials in particular. They should have been of mixed Egyptian-Mesopotamian origin and were a by-product of metallurgy (it was due to the interaction with copper that these glassware acquired the blue-greenish colour). The real glassware in Ukraine appears in Scythian-Antique times. In Middle Ages and in Modern Age it was already a professional production. Therefore, the lack of representation of glass-blowing industry in museum expositions is surprising, as well as the lack of modelling of the glass production process. Thus, the purpose of this article is to develop the foundations of relevant scientifically sound reconstructions and create options for graphic reproduction of glass-blowing workshops.To create a glass furnace model, one must first choose the age of furnace to be reconstructed and modelled (the text of the article provides several regional and chronological examples). For the most ancient periods, two main schools of glassmaking considered: Middle Eastern and Egyptian; Syrian, Roman capital and provincial Roman schools – for the Roman age. Medieval schools were: Byzantine, Western European, Old Rus, and Central Asian. The earlier was the school, the less indications of it we have.It is reasonable to make a partial section of the furnace model in order to show its internal structure. It seems necessary to make a stand representing 3-D printed copies of glassblowing tools next to the layout. Accompanying the text layout is necessary as well, which should reveal the features of the glass-blowing craft. It makes sense to place glass technology information, its technical characteristics, and features of the main schools of glassmaking for increased attractiveness. It also makes sense to display the needed ways of processing hot glass and whirling it on the glassblowing pipe on the stand.Manuscript received 12.03.2020