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The Glass Panel after completion of the conservation work
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A layer of broken ceramic amphorae was arranged neatly along the back side of the panel’s frame so as to elevate it from the middle part of the panel, similar to the edges of stone and marble tables that are characteristic of the period. In light of this the panel is also known as the “gold-glass table”.
The panel is unique in that the glass platelets inlaid in it were made using two techniques: most of the platelets were made by a special technique of ‘gold-glass’; there are platelets that were made of multicolored, opaque glass known as ‘mosaic glass’.
The ‘gold-glass’ platelets were made of two layers of glass (the bottom layer four to five millimeters thick and the upper layer less than one millimeter thick) between which is very thin gold foil (so thin it cannot be measured). The ‘gold-glass’ platelets occur in a variety of shapes and sizes: squares, rectangles and triangles. Many of them are decorated with a relief pattern that was made in a mold while the glass was still hot and which stands out from the surface of the platelet.
The process of manufacturing the platelets was very complicated and required special expertise. The platelets are decorated with two motifs: a molded cross and an eight petalled rosette.
The ‘gold-glass’ platelets are also used in the frame and in the guilloche. They were made of multicolored, translucent glass incorporating glass occurring in shades of green, red, yellow and grayish blue. They were not adorned with a specific pattern, rather there are polychrome splashes set against a uniform colored background. These platelets were made in molds that were filled with ground glass which was melted to the desired shape. The use of several shades of opaque glass, like the tesserae that decorated floors and walls, is a common practice known in the Byzantine period, but platelets and tiles that were made in this manner are extremely rare among the finds of the period.
The panel was treated by the Conservation Department in cooperation with the Glass Department of the Antiquities Authority. The panel was removed from the site and transferred to the laboratories of the Antiquities Authority for the purpose of conservation and documentation. The panel was mapped in the laboratory; each of its platelets was cleaned by means of several processes and was returned to its place. The panel has been provided with a new support that consists of a transparent box. The Glass Panel was conserved and restored due to generous funding from Tom and Margot Pritzker.
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