The Early History of Glassmaking in the Venetian Lagoon: A Microchemical Investigation

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe compositions of well-dated archaeological glasses from the Northern Adriatic have been determined to learn more about the origins of the Renaissance Venetian glassmaking industry. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) was used to characterize thirty-seven late antiquity (5th – 7th centuries) glass finds from Torcello, an island located five miles to the northwest of the Rialtine islands that make up modern Venice. The late antiquity glass data was used in conjunction with two groups of medieval glass data, a predominately 6th –10th centuries Torcello group analyzed by Brill and an 8th-14th centuries Venetian lagoon group analyzed by Verità to gain insight into the technological evolution of glassmaking in the lagoon. The three data sets were then examined within the context of archaeological evidence for a medieval glass furnace complex at Torcello. Our data on the late antiquity glasses reveals that a decline in Roman-style glassmaking technology during this period may have contributed to Venice's late medieval and Renaissance glassmaking innovations.