Fajon de Venice Glass from Excavation in Moscow and Other Cities (Mangazeya, Vyazma)

The article deals with vessel fragments decorated with colored threads and small rods encased in glass. Such fragments are found in the XVII century layers of many cities in both European Russia and Siberia. Shtofs - capped vessels of rectangular shape with a short neck (fig. 1/ 1) are the most numerous. Presumably, an additional lead neck with a screw thread was placed on the neck shtofs o (pic. 1/ 2). A lead cap was screwed on the additional neck. Small glasses with conically shaped bodies widening to the top and placed on pedestals (fig. 1/ 3) are rare. One of the fragments may be regarded as a lower part of a vase (fig. 1/ 4). Colors of the base vary significantly. Naturally colored glasses, such as grey-blue, olive and grey, predominate. (Here the color depends not on intentionally added dyes, but rather on admixing of iron oxide in glass-forming materials). Blue and purple ones are also to be found. Ornamental rods are colored in white, red, blue and yellow with green ones being quite rare. They can be laid on either separately or in various combinations (fig. 2). The technique of vessels production and applying rods is similar to Venetian glass production technique described by N.N. Kachalov. Chemical composition analysis of a certain number of fragments was conducted. Interpretation of these results based on Y.L. Shchapova and T. Stavyarskaya's methods led to the conclusion that in most cases continental plant ash was used as the source of alkali, whereas in two cases desert plant ash - above-ground parts of Calidium capsicum - was used. All in all a comprehensive study of the aforesaid group of vessels allows them to be classified as the so called Fajon de Venice glass - vessels made outside Venice, but in compliance with Venetian technology. The two fragments made with the use of Calidium capsicum ash may be considered Venetian production. For until the end of the XVII century there was no own glass production in Russia, therefore the glass vessels, which found in the XVI-XVII centuries layers, should be condidered as imported goods.

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