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Quarley 2006 Events (Scrollable list)

Projects

Quarley Furnace Project: Our 2005 and 2006 furnace firings. Organized by Mark and David, with Bill Gudenrath as a guest glassblower. The full archive can be accessed from this page. Results and conclusions were detailed in two articles in the Journal of Glass Studies (JGS):

Taylor, M. and Hill, D. (2008) 'Experiments in the Reconstruction of Roman Wood-Fired Glassworking Furnaces' in JGS 50, pp. 249-270. Click here for article.

Paynter, S. (2008) 'Experiments in the Reconstruction of Roman Wood-Fired Glassworking Furnaces: Waste Products and their Formation Processes' in JGS 50, pp. 271-290. Click here for article.

The furnaces have been left fully exposed to the weathering processes and are being photographed to record their deterioration. See this page for the photos.

Quarley 2005 - building the furnaces Quarley 2005 - general view (Photo by Paul Nicholson)









Quarley 2006 - general view (Photo by Justine Bayley) Weathered Quarley Furnace 2014








The Quarley Furnaces

Velzeke Furnace Project: Begun in 2008 and continued in early September each year. Organized by Kurt Braekman (Director - PAM Velzeke) and Peter van der Plaetzen (PAM Velzeke). Glassblowers include Mark and David, Bill Gudenrath, François Arnaud, Torsten Rötzsch, Ben Dombey, Mariken Dumon and Jason Klein. See the Glasrepliken website.

Velzeke Furnace 2016 Velzeke Furnace 2016








The Velzeke Furnace

Core-formed Alabastron Project: In 2008 and 2009 we worked for two months with a PhD student on researching and developing the techniques of making 5th century core-formed alabastra. The practical work has been published in:

Liardet, F. (2011) 'The role of craft practice in changing glass working traditions: the formation of glass vessels in the Classical and Hellenistic Mediterranean world' Cardiff University PhD thesis.

Core-formed Alabastron 2009 Core-formed Alabastra 2009








Core-formed Alabastra

Late Roman Gold Sandwich Glass Project: In 2009 we worked for one month with a PhD student on researching and developing the techniques of making Late Roman Gold Sandwich Glass. The practical work has been published in:

Howells, D. T. (2015) 'A Catalogue of the Late Antique Gold Glass in the British Museum' British Museum Research Publication 198.

Gold Sandwich Glass 2009 Gold Sandwich Glass 2009








Late Roman Gold Sandwich Glass

Borg Furnace Project: Begun in 2013 and continuing once or twice a year. Situated at the Villa Borg in Germany and organized by Bettina Birkenhagen (Director - Villa Borg) and Frank Wiesenberg. Glassblowers include Mark and David, François Arnaud, Torsten Rötzsch, Bill Gudenrath and Jason Klein. See the Archeoglas, Glasofenexperiment and Glasrepliken websites. Links to published articles involving the Villa Borg Furnace are on these websites.

Villa Borg Furnace at night 2016 Villa Borg Furnace 2016








The Villa Borg Furnace

Amarna Fish Project: In 2013 we were commissioned by the BBC to make a replica of the Amarna Fish for the ‘Treasures Of Ancient Egypt’ programme, hosted by Alistair Sook. This led to one month’s work involving the melting of glass compositions in use during the Bronze Age in Egypt and practise of the techniques necessary to make core-formed vessels of the period, culminating in the Fish.

Amarna Fish 2013 Core-formed Glass 2013








Our Amarna Fish and other core-formed glass

Gold Band Glass Project: In May 2016 we worked with an Italian PhD student to investigate the techniques used for making gold band glass vessels. Using the Villa Borg facilities we worked on reproducing Hellenistic gold band glass alabastra as well as doing some preliminary work on early Roman small gold band glass bottles and pyxides (small cylindrical lidded pots).

We continued this work in June 2016, making good advances in pyxis lid and body-forming techniques as well as achieving some encouraging results in making gold-band glass bottles (a blend of non-blowing and blowing techniques). The techniques used in making these bottles put these vessels at the very beginning of glassblowing, along with other small mosaic and monochrome bottles. N.B. They are likely to be later than the blown glass and glass waste found in the Jerusalem pit and dated c.60BCE. We see the Jerusalem glass as a separate event and not necessarily connected to later glassblowing.

Finishing a Gold Band Glass Alabastron in May 2016 Gold Band Glass Alabastron May 2016








One of our Alabastra made in May 2016

Gold Band Glass Pyxis Lid in June 2016 Some of our Pyxides in June 2016








Work on Pyxides in June 2016

Blown Mosaic Glass: Following our 2015 experiments in making blown mosaic glass at the request of a glass specialist, and to further aid her research, we blew several more small bowls in May 2016 at the Villa Borg. Following annealing, they were immediately sliced into sections for her to examine and to compare them to originals.

Picking up mosaic florets in May 2016 Shaping a blown mosaic bowl in May 2016









A finished blown mosaic bowl in May 2016 A cross-section of a bowl in May 2016








Blown Mosaic Bowls in May 2016

Non-blown multi-ribbed Bowls: The ribs on these bowls were clearly not pinched in the same way as the Roman bowls with fewer, larger, more stately ribs. A series of short experiments at the Villa Borg in June 2017, using various tools, quickly showed that a long, thin bar of metal (a knife!) produced the best results. The photo shows us using a builders trowel. This was not as controllable as a knife, but had to be used in the absence of a suitable long-bladed knife.

Hot-forming of a multi-ribbed bowl in June 2017 A multi-ribbed bowl in need of grinding and polishing, June 2017








Making Multi-ribbed Bowls in June 2017

Blown Mosaic Glass: In 2019 we revisited blown mosaic glass and blew two or three more small bowls in June 2019 at the Villa Borg for the same glass specialist. Following annealing, we sliced one bowl into sections for her to examine and to compare them to originals.

A finished blown mosaic bowl in June 2019 The cross-section in June 2019








A Blown Mosaic bowl in June 2019

Our wood-fired furnace projects continue on this page

PDF Files

Summaries of some Medieval and Post-medieval Vessel Types:

Cylindrical Beakers   Cylindrical Storage Jars   Cylindrical Tankards

Lamps

Linen Smoothers

Oval Wrythen Flasks

Pedestal Beakers

Pedestal Goblets

Uroscopy Flasks








Relating to 18th century Glass:

Shaft and Globe Bottles   Onion Bottles   Cylindrical Bottles



Relating to Roman Glass:

Taylor, M. and Hill, D.
Roman Furnace Project Article
  Paynter, S.
Roman Furnace Project Article




Our wood-fired furnace projects continue on this page

A Roman Glasshouse by David Hill

Quarley 2006 - Slumping a ribbed bowl (Photo by Elaine Wakefield

Velzeke 2013 - Dragon stem goblet by Bill Gudenrath

Villa Borg 2016 - Bead Furnace

Villa Borg 2016 - Pulling a cane

Villa Borg 2016 - Making an alabastron

Villa Borg 2016 - An interesting backdrop!

Villa Borg 2016 - Teaching

Villa Borg 2016 - Attaching a blown foot

Villa Borg 2016 - Making a tazza

Villa Borg 2016 - Making a tazza

Villa Borg 2016 - Opening a beaker

Villa Borg 2016 - Working at the Furnace

Velzeke 2016 - Francois at work

Velzeke 2016 - Making a cone beaker

Velzeke 2016 - Making a medieval beaker

Velzeke 2016 - Medieval beaker

Velzeke 2016 - Making a 17th century cannon

Villa Borg 2017 - A dragon-stemmed goblet by Francois (assisted by Torsten). Photo by Bettina Birkenhagen.

Villa Borg 2017 - Roman fish

Villa Borg 2018 - Two Roman bowls with folded walls

Villa Borg 2019 - Two Roman bottles with floating handles

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