| Abstrakt: |
The study of the two glass collections discussed in this article shows that Portuguese glass was made in more than one style during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The vessels from the castle of Mértola were found in an Islamic archeological context of the 12th-13th centuries, and there are parallels for them among glassware from other parts of the Islamic world. One of the Mértola vessels in particular (cat. no. 2) has been decorated in the manner of many well-known Islamic objects from central Asia to the Maghreb. Almost no colorless glass has been excavated at Mértola. The samples found are mostly transparent, bubbly glass with olive green, yellow, bluegreen, or other coloration. Some fragments are of transparent red glass, and others are opaque red and black. These glasses were decorated by trailing and mold blowing. Some of the fragments from the castle at Pombal correspond closely to medieval European glass vessels (cat. nos. 2, 3, and 9), but others reveal the influence of Islamic design and decoration (cat nos. 5, 8, and 17). Part of the prunted goblet (cat. no. 3) is probably the oldest fragment made in the European tradition. Because similar vessels from southern Europe can be dated to the Renaissance, two finds from Pombal (cat. nos. 1 and 7) are probably 16th-century goblets. However, the archeological context of these finds is unknown. The groups of glass from Mértola and Pombal include some lid fragments and a few intact strippers. These are very rarely found in medieval and Renaissance excavations. Although none of the objects from the two sites discussed here can be restored, the author has attempted to make some reconstructions based on parallels (Figs. 1 and 2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
