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An Investigation of the Antimony-Containing Minerals used by the Romans to Prepare Opaque Colored Glasses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Jennifer L. Mass ,
Richard E. Stone  and
Mark T. Wypyski
Jennifer L. Mass
Affiliation:
The Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
Richard E. Stone
Affiliation:
The Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
Mark T. Wypyski
Affiliation:
The Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
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Abstract

Roman colored opaque vessel glasses and mosaic tesserae were examined using energy dispersive X-ray analysis, wavelength dispersive X-ray analysis, and scanning electron microscopy in order to identify the origins of the antimony-based glass opacifying agents used in the Roman period. Bindheimite and stibnite were considered as mineralogical sources of antimony, and antimonial litharge was investigated as a metallurgical source of antimony. The refining of antimonial silver ores was discussed as a source for antimonial litharge in the Roman period. The morphologies of the antimonate crystallites, their distributions, and the observed correlations of lead to antimony in the glasses indicated that roasted stibnite was the antimony source for the white and blue opaque glasses and antimonial litharge was the antimony source for the yellow and green opaque glasses. Opaque yellow Roman glasses were found to contain a mixture of clastic, subhedral, and euhedral lead pyroantimonate (Pb2Sb2O7) particles. The euhedral crystallites are a rhombohedral modification of Pb2Sb2O7 that is formed above 900 °C.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 462: Symposium DD – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology V , 1996 , 193
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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