Characteristic of materials research development in the Renaissance and Early modern time

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15421/272204

Abstract

The development of research in the field of materials science during the end of the XIV century – XVIII century is analyzed. Research and experiments, development of new technologies have become a challenge and a need of the time. Achievements in mining and metallurgy, which constantly stimulated each other’s development, proved to be quite effective. The most fundamental work on metallurgy in the Renaissance can be considered «De Re Metallica» by G. Agricola, published in the second half of the XVI century. This study became the first European encyclopedia of mining and metallurgy. G. Agricola studied copper, silver and lead alloys and was the first to describe the technology of bismuth producing. At the same time, he analyzed deposits of precious metals, mining of sulfur, bitumen and glass. Further for almost 100 years no new chemical elements were detected. Only in 1669 the discovery of phosphorus was documented by the German scientist H. Brand. Also, in the studied period the exceptional development gained a separate direction of materials science – the glass production. Data on the range of glass products in Spain, Hungary, and China are presented. In the Middle Ages, glass was widely used to make dishes. Much jewelry, including necklaces, was made of glass too. Information on impurities that affect the technological qualities of glass, as well as its color was given. The leading centers of glass production were Italy (Venetian glass), the Czech Republic (Bohemian glass), and Germany. Studies in archaeometallurgy have shown that the purest material for making glass was quartz sand, used by Venetian glass producers or imported from other Italian regions. At the same time, the «local» (including Portuguese) sand, rich in the feldspar, was also actively used by glassblowers. The ways of glass production technologies spreading to different countries are considered. In the XVI century mirror glass was invented on the island of Murano. Initially, polished metal or rock crystal was used as a mirror. Murano glassmakers applied a very thin layer of mercury to the tin plate and then covered it with a layer of transparent glass. At first this method was in a secret of the inhabitants of the glass island, but then gradually spread to European countries. It took almost three centuries to replace mercury with silver, which ensured higher quality mirrors. In the XVII century in Western Europe people learned to make rectangular glass, which was inserted into the window frame, which accordingly made its adjustments in the construction of buildings. The information on the use of the feldspar for the manufacture of porcelain and faience, as well as the use of feldspar powder for the manufacture of colored enamels is shown. These enamels decorated household items in Egypt, India and China. It is concluded that in the Renaissance and early Modern Time, materials science research has accelerated, and fundamentally new directions have appeared.

Published

2022-06-20