In the CLEAR
Ion chromatography can predict invisible
deterioration of glass objects
By Guus Verhaar, Postdoctoral researcher, Rijksmuseum,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, University of Texas, Dallas, USA,
and Corning Museum of Glass, New York, USA.
Dealing with the chemical deterioration of glass in museum
collections is a serious challenge for conservators and curators.
It has been estimated that up to 30 percent of all glass objects
in museums may be of unstable composition, but the associated
visual changes cannot always be observed. Conservators asked
me if it would be possible to identify unstable glass objects, before
the irreversible changes occur.
In my research I therefore aim to identify unstable glass at an
early stage using analytical techniques, before the damage is done.(^30) Feature
Fingerprint etched
into the surface of
a historic glass as a
result of chemical
deterioration.
© Rijksmuseum.