RUNNING HEAD: GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD

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Glass Making In The Renaissance Period
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GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD
A Short History of Glass Making
There is evidence of glass making from as early as 4000 BC. Back then it was mostly used
for the coating of stone beads. It was 1500 BC when the first hollow glass container was
made. It was made by covering a sand core with a layer of molten glass. It was during the
First Century BC that glass blowing became more common. At this time glass was high
coloured due to the impurities of the raw materials that were used to make it. The first
recorded colourless glass was made in First Century AD. The Romans were one of the most
skilled in glass making and held most of the secrets. It wasnt until the Roman Empire began
to fall that the secrets began to leak out into Europe and the Middle East. At this time the
greatest reputation for technical skill and artistic ability was held by the Venetians. A far
amount of Venetian craftsmen left Italy to set up their own glassworks. In Jarrow and
Wearmouth, Britain there is evidence of glass works going back as far as 680 AD. There is
also evidence of a glass industry in Weald and the forested areas of Surrey and Sussex around
Chiddingford. In the 1300s Venetians made it illegal for glasses to be made with glass lenses
in favour of the more expensive and valuable rock crystal. 1352 saw eyeglasses only being
worn by the well-educated, very rich noblemen and the Italian clergy which shows how
society affected the glass industry. (Banks, M., Elphinstone, N., & Hall, E. T. 1963)
It was during the Renaissance that spectacles became more widely spread. The biggest
milestone in glass making was when George Ravenscroft invented lead crystal glass. He
introduced lead into the raw materials used to make glass while trying to counter the effect of
the clouding that sometimes took place when making glass. This new glass was softer and
easier to decorate. It also had a higher infraction index which added to the beauty. It proved
invaluable in the optical industry. The optical lenses, astronomical telescopes and
microscopes we use today were made possible by this discovery. Our modern day glass
industry only really started to develop are the repeal of the Excise Act in 1845 in Britain
which relieved the high taxation rate that had been enforced. Until that time, excise duties
were placed on the amount of glass melted in a glass house. This was levied repeatedly from
1745 to 1845. (McCray, W. P. 1999)

In the prehistoric era a natural glass called obsidian was made by volcanic eruptions. It was
valued for its rigidity by prehistoric man and was used to construct weapons and other
utensils. Amulets and other decorative pieces have been found from as back as 4000BC. It
was around this period that the basic mix for glass was invented. To stabilize the glass, sand
was heated and along with lime was used to protect the glass from humidity.Dung and Earth
were the building blocks of the first glass work. This was done around 1500 BC and had its
roots in areas like Egypt and Mesopotamia. The procedure that followed was very simple.
When the glass solidified the earthen core was discharged from its place and as a result an
empty glass piece could be found.But these techniques were very big secrets and were
extremely well guarded. As they were so expensive, only the rich could afford them at that
time. Another decorative element, glass mosaics were produced by coloured poles of glass
GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD
that were sliced to bring them to this form. They were transposed onto walls of grand
buildings, especially churches in the Vatican. (MD Lyn, 2004)
The 17
th
Century
During the 17
th
century there was a book published called LArteVetraria. L Arte Vetraria
means the art of glass. It was written by a man named Antonio Neri. Antonio had put together
everything from the ways to make glass to how to actually blow glass all in one place for the
first time since making glass had become known. At this time glass was beginning to be used
for more scientific reasons like microscopes and telescopes. It was a change that greatly
improved the scientific world. McCray, W. P. (1999).
Places for making glass began to spring up in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, England and
the Netherlands although Venice held the top. These places were known as forest glass
houses. The glass houses were mostly only temporary buildings but some were used for many
years. They were sustained by using ingredients readily available in the forest to make the
glass they produced. They burned trees to heat the furnace and in turn used the ashes to make
the glass. The residual ashes were called Potashes. They obtain a metallic green colour
when mixed with copper oxide. They are then purified. Because they cut down many of the
trees they used for the wood in their furnaces the land was cleared up and was later used
agriculturally. Window glass and drinking vessels were the items that were made the most in
glasshouses. Rounded bowls and large beer vessels were the most widely made. Many items
had a knob made on the side, making it better for holding, especially if the user was drunk.
Bohemian factories that had specialized in using diamond points to engrave were becoming
more popular. It was said that nearly any person could do it as long as they could draw. This
was when the clear glass was invented as the Bohemian makers of glass had begun to use
chalk as their base ingredient when making their glass. Glass from the North parts ofEurope
was in higher demand than the Venetians glass. Fine glass was introduced to the world by
Venetian glassblowers. Because of a shortage of wood it was no longer possible to use to fuel
their furnaces. They had to use a different source and turned to coal. The problem with this
was that they needed to come up with a way to ventilate the fumes away from the workers as
well as their glass. (Macfarlane, A., & Martin, G. 2002.)

The Mid to Late 17
th
Century
In the mid-17
th
century English glassblowers invented what was called black glass which was
really a very dark green. They used it to make strong walled vessels as it was great for long
ship journeys and good for storage. Light that may damage the liquid inside was protected by
the thickness of the glass. With these bottles it was easy for England to start dominating the
world of distribution. The people of Jamestown, a colony in America, began glassblowing in
1607. It was used mainly for making windows and bottles. Most of the glass was made and
imported out of Germany and was hard to distribute in America. The first man to successfully
distribute glass in America was called Caspar Wistar. Henry Stiegalthen followed and John
Frederick Amelung came after him. The first two men eventually failed because Stiegal put
GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD
as much money into it as he could. He even went as far as to use more money than he had at
the time. The revolution was Wistars downfall. Managing to keep his head above water a
little longer, Amelung opened a large glass factory in Maryland in the year 1784. It was also
the year bifocals were invented by Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately Amelungs factory was
also shut down. American distribution was hard but the glass industry continued to develop
every decade. (OConnor, E. 2006)
It wasnt long before there was another breakthrough in 1676. A man called George
Ravenscroft developed a formula for making glass using lead. He was an English glassmaker
who had lived in Venice for many years. He was secretly working in London when he
developed this new form of glass. Lead glass stayed workable for a much longer period than
the other types of glass. People began to make vessels without decoration because of its
weight and clarity. They began to focus more on the form of the glass and how it was shaped.
(Macfarlane, A., & Martin, G. 2002)
The 1800s
In the 1820s mechanical press was introduced making the production of glass much easier
and faster for those making this newfound invention.
During the Renaissance there were many factors that affected glass making. As the sciences
grew the need for glass grew. For example glass was needed to make telescopes and
microscopes which meant that the demand grew. Nowadays we take glass for granted but
back then it was used for a lot of different objects. Its role in medieval and Renaissance
science and technology was enormous. Glass vessels were used for medical diagnosis like
urine samples which first started in the Islamic world. It then spread through Europe.
Scientific experiments were mostly done using glass tools. Martin and Macfarlane summed
that the interlinks between the scientific advancements and glass work progression by
claiming almost every scientific advance needed glass at some stage. During the
Renaissance technology made it possible to be able to begin the production of stained glass.
This meant new possibilities on what glass could be used for and new ideas were being
thought up every day. Stained glass windows became very popular in noblemens homes and
they were the envy of all their friends. Due to this the demand for glass became much higher.
Also as technology improved so did the speed and quality of the glass that was being made.
(Henninger-Voss, M. J. 2002)


How Society Affected the Making Of Glass
The scientific and technological advancements in glassmaking are relative to the social and
cultural changes in Renaissance period. All these things go hand in hand, supporting each
other on the path of technology, which led to a socially challenged society of the
Renaissance.
GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD

Society had a big influence in most things during the Renaissance much like it does today.
Many of the people who purchased glass during the Renaissance were people of the high
Society like noblemen. This meant that they were often competing with their friends and
acquaintances to ensure they had the envy of everyone else. This meant that they had to have
the most expensive and beautiful pieces. This meant that the demand for glass was growing
and as the technology of glass making grew it meant that the demand grew even more. When
people saw what could be accomplished it had them demanding bigger and better pieces.
Glass houses had to keep up with demand and were forced to create new objects. They had to
go bigger and better than ever before. The social shift in the Renaissance evolved as the
economy shifted to a more social and culturally advanced society. The society capitalized on
glass making as one of its major commodities. Glassmaking gave birth to a revolutionary
change in a society, offering a new meaning to socio-cultural environment. Life led to a
change in behaviour and adaptations of new traditions, accompanying new social habits.
From the confinement to the elite class, the glass products became the use of every social
class in the Renaissance. New table manners were recognized. The use of plates, spoons,
forks, vessels for drinking and other dishware were adopted. The change in behaviour is also
depicted in the Renaissance art of paintings. Dishware introduced companionship at the table.
As the adaptations became common, a new trend was developed amongst the people. People
started storing objects. The possessed objects were used to display the cultural and traditional
lifestyle of the people. With the emergence of glass, the luxury goods underway the social
need to buy expensive objects and show them off in the society. (W. Patrick McCray, May
1,1998)
The whole concept of dining changed, becoming socially involving acts of being
sophisticated. People became more socially involved with each other, an excuse to mingle
with each other on a social basis. A new concept of virtue was the source-cultural
environment took a new path of influencing peoples life. The unusual shift in culture was
due to the technological and better understanding of evolving social-culture of that time.
Social classes became more socially involved in creating social ties with people. The table
furnishings and dishware which are taken for granted nowadays had a certain level of
superiority and sophistication to it at that time. The people of Venice had a different
perspective of science, technology and social culture. The glass artisans quickly achieved a
high level of skill in glass making. The numerous types of glasses, goblets, cups, cups with
gaudy feet, bowls, plates and bottles assumed grand, admirable and elegant forms, suited to
Renaissance fixtures, most of which were inspired by metal or ceramic dishes. Among all the
hot-working decorations, the half moulding technique was often adapted to obtain aid
ribbing. Techniques and accessories such as blobs, threads and mould-blowing were common
decorative practices during that period.(Rosa Barovier Mentasti, October 5, 2008)

Technological and Scientific Factors Related to Glass Making
As far is technology is concerned, the new techniques of glassmaking kept on evolving. The
glassmaking technology not only changed their behavioural and thinking patterns to an
GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD
extent, its use expanded to decorations, collecting glassware, jewellery worn around by
women, etc. The materials, techniques alchemy and chemicals; each contributed to the
change in peoples life. In Renaissance Italy, science and technology had a different
perspective. The mirror was the mother of Renaissance perspective: a theme taken up by
Samuel Edgerton in his The Renaissance Rediscovery of Linear Perspective. He carefully
hinted the various converging sets of ideas from Greek and Arabic philosophy through optics
and geometry which led to the fateful moment in the Piazza Del Duomo in Florence in 1425
when Brunelleschi made his major discovery of the laws of perspective. The development of
fine glass mirrors, flourished the final factor that was needed by allowing people to see them
in a new way. The Renaissance painters used the glass mirror in a way to see their inner self;
to know and understand themselves in a better way, which is also illustrated in many of the
paintings of Renaissance artists. The technology of glass and mirror altered the civilization
and concept of art as well. The huge transformation which we call Renaissance individualism
may have been one of the causes, without which the concept of the individual from the group
would not have taken the course it did. (By Alan Macfarlane and Gerry Martin, 2008)
New glass technology, such as leaded glass and diamond etching became widespread. Art
evolved with the technological developments in glassmaking, making the clear glass in
windows thinner for better light. It also represented a symbol of religious and presented
emphasis on three dimensional perspectives. (Chuck LaChiusa, 2009)
The modern optics in Renaissance gave birth to the laws of optics; explaining the solar and
lunar eclipse, mathematical law of refraction and diffraction optics. (Wikipedia)
All these contributions to science and technology gave people a new perspective of mirror
and glass. The concept of three dimensional perspectives was founded in the Renaissance
period. The Renaissance involved a different attitude about the world. It portrays a realistic
viewpoint as opposed to a supernatural one.


The Issues Faced
Like the manufacture of any product the manufacture of glass had many issues with science,
technology, and socio-cultural factors. The issues with making glass werent just with finding
the right materials. When the demand for glass grew in the science industry the glass industry
had to face the problem of manufacturing glass more quickly. During the renaissance which
means rebirth the manufacture of glass had to be reborn too. The manufacturers had to
begin to think of other materials and ways to make glass. New technologies enhanced the
speed of making glass but they also meant new issues for the manufacturers. These were
issues like keeping the technology in working order as well as finding new ways to melt their
ingredients quickly. Over the years they went from using Obsidian to Chalk and through
every other material they could think of. The issues with testing new materials meant that
there were always issues with things going wrong and them not getting the right end result. It
GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD
took a long time before they finally came to find the right materials for the job. This only
happened through trial and error making it a very time consuming period. (Macfarlane, A., &
Martin, G. 2002)
The introduction of new technologies both helped and hindered the making of glass. It took a
long time to understand what temperature the materials needed to melt but with new
technology it became easier to judge. New technologies also helped with removing impurities
and gaining only the purest materials for the glass itself. It also meant that they were able to
try new decorations and make even more elaborate and elegant pieces which drew more
attention to their work and in turn grew a higher demand. Eventually the demand grew so
much that they had to come up with new technologies to be able to keep up the speed of the
glass they were making. It wasnt until the modern day that this was perfected into the
factories and facilities there are today. The factories we use nowadays are much different
from the glass houses of the forest that were once used in the Renaissance but it does us well
to sometimes think back on that time and really appreciate how far we have come.
(Henninger-Voss, M. J. 2002)
Conclusion
Ever since glass making began there have been many ups and downs. From the start there
were problems with the colour and what materials could be used. There were the influences
of people from outside the glass making industry who determined what was made and what
wasnt. The technology available throughout the centuries also influenced the making of
glass. When taking all these elements and putting them together it is hard to believe that glass
makers didnt just give up. The determination and persistence of glass makers in the past,
especially the Renaissance has made the glass industry what it is today. Without the
discovery of the materials that made clear glass we would not have windows, drinking
glasses and so much more the way we have them today. The things that influenced the
making of glass in the Renaissance still really affect the glass industry today without us really
even knowing it. Today glass is taken for granted. Unlike when it was first discovered we
now walk past a glass window or pick up a wine glass without even thinking about its beauty
or really even thinking of how it may have been made. At one time glass making was a very
high art form but is now taken for granted in todays world.

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GLASSMAKING IN THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD
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