A new article on the production of medieval red glass is now available to read online here. The research, entitled ‘Technology, production and chronology of red window glass in the medieval period – rediscovery of a lost technology,’ was conducted by Jerzy J. Kunicki-Goldfinger, Ian C. Freestone, Iain McDonald, Jan A. Hobot, Heather Gilderdale-Scott and Tim Ayers.
The research saw 132 ruby red glass samples – dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries – undergo various methods of analysis, including with a scanning-electron microscope and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Most samples originate from English churches, including 32 from York Minster, but the study includes samples from France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The results of the analysis enabled two types of flashed red glass to be distinguished, showing the different approaches of medieval craftsman to its creation, and shed new light on the production of striated ruby glass, thereby rediscovering a medieval technique through modern methods of analysis.
The article will feature in the Journal of Archaeological Science in 2014.
