This research intends to study four Portuguese batch books dated from the 18th to the 20th century, assigned to different glassmakers and Portuguese factories that laboured during this period. To this end, the selected glass recipes will be examined, reproduced, and characterised. Since these arcana are a set of notebooks from different periods, some are written in 18th-century Portuguese, others already have chemical formulae written in 19th-century notation. Chemistry is the base of everything, and glass production was not an exception. An example of that is the springiness of particles, from Descartes, which arouse the attention of the polymath, Robert Hooke, years later when he starts to contribute to the study of the phenomenon underlying glass drops quenched into the water – Prince Rupert’s drops – that can be considered the early form of tempered glass. The end of the 18th century was marked by several chemical evolutions, which created opportunity for innovation and progress in the 19th-century glass industry. Thanks to the laws of modern chemistry, such as the principle of conservation of matter put forward by Lavoisier – all ingredients began to be systematically weighted prior to be put in the crucible, the same applying to the products obtained at the end – glassmakers increased their awareness and control over raw materials and, which greatly improved glass production. This craft which up to now had been based on a purely empirical approach, produced sodium carbonate or sodium ashes, for example, by calcinating different raw materials and controlling the purity and the content of sodium carbonate, normally through the smell and the taste of the final substance. The main goals of this research are to continue the study of Portuguese glass production from the 18th to the 20th century, by considering the development of chemical and physical knowledge, which was incorporated in glassmaking with the aim of clarifying the methodology for historical glass reproductions, and assist in the attribution of authorship of some historical objects kept in Portuguese museums.

Hidden secrets in 18th-to-20th century glassmaking: The contribution of science for the past and the present of the Portuguese historical glasses

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.