Proton-induced X-ray emission analysis of early Finnish "Waldglas"

Abstract

The proton-induced X-ray emission method was used to determine the minor and trace elements in glassware originating from early Finnish glassworks. The material analysed consisted of glassworks stamps originating from green bottles as well as pieces of hand-blown window glass cylinders. Several glass standards from the National Bureau of Standards (USA) were used to obtain the absolute concentrations of calcium, titanium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, lead, arsenic, rubidium, strontium, zirconium and barium. Because the glassworks in the 1600's and 1700's used local raw materials, the possibility of identifying the manufacturer of the glass items by determining their element composition was investigated. It is shown that even if variations in absolute concentrations are not significant, proton-induced X-ray emission data followed by multivariate statistical analysis is a helpful approach for identifying the manufacturer of the earliest Finnish glass items.