Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(3):286-293

Material research of medieval glass mosaics in Malbork and Kwidzyn

David Hradil¹, Janka Hradilová², Dana Rohanová³, Magdalena Kracík Štorkánová⁴, Eva Pospíšilová⁵

¹ Ústav anorganické chemie AV ČR, v. v. i. (laboratoř ALMA)

² AVU v Praze (laboratoř ALMA)

³ Fakulta chemické technologie VŠCHT v Praze

⁴ AVU v Praze

⁵ Přírodovědecká fakulta MU v Brně

This article ties into the previous article by Marcin Kozarzewski "Reconstruction of the medieval statue of the Virgin with Child from the Malbork Castle Church and preservation of the mosaic at the Kwidzyn Cathedral". For this reason, the beginning only briefly mentions the historical connection between the creation of both works and the reasons for seeking their relationship to the Czech art environment of the 14th century. It then goes on to deal with the material and technological issues in detail. It selectively chooses and describes in detail those findings that may serve as a guide for the designation of origin of the works. Particularly, these are mostly imperceptible remnants of the original polychrome, among which a unique fragment of original gilding was found, then the glass tesserae of the mosaic itself. It finds the comparability with other parts, however, to be limited. In the case of the Prague mosaic, it is possible to rely only on older published data; comparing glass tesserae with the production of ordinary glass anywhere north of the Alps can lead to erroneous interpretations due to the specificity of the mosaic technology.

Keywords: medieval mosaic, Malbork Madonna, material analysis, non-invasive methods, degradation of glass

Published: September 1, 2017  Show citation