La fragilitat en el temps. Col·lecció de vidres del MAC

Glass is one of the first synthetic materials made by humankind, and it is the star of one of the Museum's most remarkable collections, unique in Catalonia. Necklaces and pendants, jugs and bowls, dropper bottles and unguent jars... The exhibition is made up of glass found in the excavations at Empúries, Puig des Molins and Mallorca, as well as purchases, donations and transfers from private individuals. In the three areas into which it is divided, visitors will appreciate a carefully chosen selection of ancient glass spanning several historical periods. We should understand the discovery of glass as the culmination of a series of processes that made it possible to obtain a liquid, almost pasty mass, whose plasticity allowed it to be worked while hot, giving it all kinds of shapes. Glass is odourless, does not alter taste, is reusable and easily recyclable. These qualities have meant that, since its discovery more than 4,000 years ago, it has been used to meet the most diverse needs. The most outstanding pieces from these periods come to us, as we said, from the eastern Mediterranean. We highlight, first of all, an alabastron from between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, an example of core-formed glass with applied decoration. The technique in question consisted of making a core of sand and clay which, fixed to a metal rod, was shaped according to the form of the object to be produced. Then this core was covered with threads of hot glass, rolled on a smooth surface and placed in the furnace. To decorate it, threads of glass of different colours were applied and shaped with paddles and pointed tools. Finally, the handles, foot and rim were added according to the planned model. Once cold, the core and rod were removed. With this same technique, a whole repertoire of small containers inspired by the forms of Greek pottery was produced: amphorae, amphoriskoi, aryballoi, alabastra, oinochoai, hydriae, unguentaria, among other less common forms. The small vessels were used to store unguents and perfumed oils, delicate substances that needed a sealed, odourless and opaque container. These shapes endured until the beginning of the 1st century AD, when the blown glass technique replaced them. The Museum holds a large number of pieces made using the blowing technique: among others, bowls from the eastern and western Mediterranean of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD; a jug with coloured spots; an amphora with applied handles and grooved decoration of concentric circles and geometric motifs; a balsamarium made using mould-blowing (later than free-blowing); an eastern vessel of the 3rd century AD with applied threads in relief; a Syrian bottle from between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD with engraved decoration; a dropper bottle from the same period; and a Palestinian unguentarium from the 4th–5th centuries AD with applied thread decoration.