Technological research of a collection of colorless glass of the 18th century from the collection of the State Russian Museum

The problem of non-destructive testing of glass products has long been faced by everyone who has to deal with the problems of its analysis, identification and dating. In recent years, many articles have appeared in the foreign and domestic press in which the authors consider the possibility of studying the composition and structure of glass using modern equipment and new research methods. Unfortunately, most authors either do not take into account the specifics of museum storage of objects, or conduct experiments with single samples, which does not allow the conclusions to be extended to a wide range of glass products. The study of objects made of colorless glass stands apart, which researchers often ignore, focusing only on colored glass. The main objectives of this work were: 1. Identification of dating impurities in the composition of the glass mass and, as a result, a better understanding of the recipe for melting colorless glass in the 18th century in Russia. Identification of patterns that allow dividing glass products by time and place of production; 2. Selection of objects whose composition does not correspond to this recipe and more careful work on their dating for the General Catalog of the Museum; 3. Identification of later inserts and details in works that appeared in the process of their existence or restoration; 4. Possibility of using the obtained results for conducting examinations with objects made of colorless glass coming from other collections (both private and museum). The article discusses methods available for museum conditions for studying glass products, analytical equipment on the market, its advantages and disadvantages. In the process of working with reference objects from the glass fund, the department of decorative and applied arts of the State Russian Museum, 237 pieces of colorless glass dating back to the 18th century were examined. The compositions of the glass, the proportions of the main elements that make up the glass charge, additional impurities and their origin were analyzed.