Egypt glass amphora created on the clay pith
(The 4th – 5th century before our age)
| Glass |
People knew glass a long time ago. The lightning was leaving special formations on sand’s deserts, so called ” fulgurites” formed melting up sand. By getting stiff of volcano lava the dark natural glass – obsidian is created too, from which people from primeval times brushed up instruments and decorations: it was in Anatolia [Troja], Mexico and South America. But it was not enough for a man: he wanted to melt up the glass himself from sand with a fire.
This managed the inhabitants of that time Mesopotamia; it was sometimes between 3500 – 3000 before our age. They used it like a glaze on stone and ceramic coral beads, later about 2 500 before our age the beads and amulets were whole from glass.
This way the Egyptians met glass on theirs invasions. The birth of the glass industry in Europe started this way. Egyptians melted from the quartz sand, lime sea conches and sodium. They produced also vessels later except jewels: they coated the clay pith with molten glass, they melted laid glass in a fire and in the end they put away the clay cylinder.
Egypt glass amphora created on the clay pith
(The 4th – 5th century before our age)
The Greek took over the same technology. They improved it only in it, that they dived the clay pith of the future vessel into the melted molten glass right away. This way they were using till 1st century before our age.
At the turn of the 6th and 5th century the bigger glass goods started to been produced in Italy too. Between the 2nd and 1st century before our age new methods were created: pressing glass into forms and composing of ornaments on vases from the glass mosaic.
The Roman vessel blown in a free way from the 1st century our
age
(Both pictures taken from http://rits.standford.edu/atss/atp/art/projects/cacglass/T00001.html)
Short before the beginning of our age the blowing glass was started to use in Italy, which maybe was discovered in Syria. The Romans improved blowing of glass and from them this technology got in the whole Europe consequently. These two technologies founded the tradition of Roman glass industry.
After the decline of The Roman Empire, the center of gravity of the glass industry moved to Byzantium [Istanbul], where glass – painting and email was developing. Excellent Venice’s glass – makers only linked to the antic tradition indirectly at the 12th century our age, they were influenced by the Byzantium and Syrian glass – industry great power. In 1292 Venice’s glass – industries were moved on the near – by island Murano [where they are till today]. At the 15th century of the colored glass, there were renewed the antic technology of threading and decorating with the clipped decor. From the 17th century the icy, marble, agate and opal glass has been produced.
Venice’s glass (Murano)
(Taken from http://www4.freeweb.ne.jp/photo/fujihina/glass/glass.html)
At that time the Venice’s glass had been losing its important yet, the development of the glass – industry in the middle Europe started. It is forced out by the Czech glass, which suited costumers in a better way. It was the potassium – limy, which was suited for cutting and brushing, so called the Czech crystalline.
The crystalline luster
(Taken from http://web.iol.cz/glasstomes/lustry_k.htm)
This glass appeared in Nuremberg later too, but the specialty of its glass – makers is the glass painted with the black plumbic. At the end of the 17th century the plumbic crystalline glass with the high sheen was developed in England.
In baroque the colored glass was produced, especially the blue one colored with cobalt, opal and ruby glass, colored with gold.
Since 30ies of the 19th century the Czech glass had been dominated in Europe again, so called biedermaier. At the end of the 19th century the Czech glass was pushed back with the new materials, forms and styles especially British and French glass – makers.
From this what was written you can think, that only decorations, art articles and so on are produced from glass. But since antiquity the useful glass has been producing yet too. Glass serves in windows, some other glass resists in laboratories against the high heat and acids, so called the safety glass is in cars, some other one is in glasses or cameras and for the producing of bottles is used so called concave, wrapping glass.
From all these kinds of glass the wrapping glass is just in a great crisis. A man occurs to compulsory question, if it will survive the year 2000. Will the earth not become the global plastic dust heap because of the mammon of individuals?
