Glasses and ceramics
This category also correspond to the more classical term of “fire arts”. It includes glass (colored or not), stained-glass, porcelains, ceramics, terracotta, but also siliceous materials that have not necessarily been thermally manufactured by man (flint, obsidian and mosaics).
A determination of the siliceous matrix and trace elements
The main goal of the analysis conducted at CARAA on such is to understand the siliceous matrix itself, its state of conservation as well as fillers, charges and flux that may have been added by man.
A composition, a signature
The identification of specific pigments in the case of colored siliceous objects or the characterization of distinctive mineral fillers can help to correlate the item with historical periods and therefore to indirectly date the period at which these pigments were added.
Understanding the alteration phenomena
The characterization of the alteration products in/on siliceous material allows for proper restoration protocol taking into account the harsh environments to which the item was submitted. The common alteration products on stained-glass are potassium, sodium or magnesium carbonates, phosphates and sulfates (e.g. syngenite -K2Ca(SO4)2.H2O-).















