Glass at Risk: Simple Tools for Detecting Unstable Glass in 19th-Century Cultural Heritage Collections

FAIN: PR-253388-17

George Washington University (Washington, DC 20052-0001)
Murray H. Loew (Project Director: June 2016 to October 2022)

A research project to characterize and identify unstable 19th-century glass artifacts using simple, non-invasive testing methods. Once developed, this testing protocol would be organized into a freely available “decision tree” that will allow preservation professionals of varying backgrounds and abilities to better identify and care for unstable glass in museum, library, and archive collections.

The grant will support interdisciplinary, collaborative research for the development of simple tools organized into a "decision tree" that will allow end-users of varying backgrounds and abilities, from curators and collectors to conservators and conservation scientists, to better identify the risk posed by unstable 19th century glass in historical collections. The tree and accompanying protocols will guide users in a step-wise process through the application of simple, readily available tools for the examination of glass artifacts, starting with the use of ultraviolet (UV) light, and advancing to more sophisticated non-invasive spectroscopic and spectral imaging tools, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), spectral imaging, and fluorescence spectroscopy.