ARCHAEOMETRICAL AND TYPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF 17TH CENTURY GLASS PRODUCTION IN SA GERRERIA WORKSHOP (MAJORCA, SPAIN)

Abstract

In this article, we conduct a study of 104 samples (pieces, technological elements, lumps and frit remains) recovered from the 17th century glass workshop of Sa Gerreria (Majorca, Spain). A SEM-EDS analysis of the chemical composition of 104 samples and the analysis of distinct groupings obtained from a statistical treatment of the data using principle components analysis (PCA) have revealed the type of production developed in the workshop, at both the qualitative and the quantitative levels. On the one hand, this study has contributed interesting information regarding the characteristics of local production, particularly little known aspects such as the types of pieces manufactured and their diverse colourations and decorations. On the other hand, this study has allowed us to identify, for the first time through the study of the materials themselves, the existence of a group of typologically consistent samples that does not match the composition of the products made in this workshop and are most likely related to objects of an imported nature. In conclusion, this study has allowed us to develop a more in-depth understanding of the Island of Majorca’s role in peripheral production, exchange networks, and the circulation of knowledge regarding the recipes and techniques used by the Sa Gerreria workshop and their relationship with production contexts closely linked to Barcelona and the territories that composed the ancient Crown of Aragon. This understanding has been developed for the first time from a new perspective that is not exclusively documentary.