Ten Duinen : Lost Luster. Innovative interdisciplinary research on archaeological window glass in North Western Europe (10th – 18th c.)

Ten Duinen

The impressive 16th c. painting by Pieter Pourbus shows the fenestration of the Cistercian abbey of the Dunes in Koksijde. During several archaeological campaigns on the abbey site, an important quantity of medieval window glass has been excavated. The collection of window glass of the Abbey museum Ten Duinen 1138 is one of the largest archaeological window glass collections in North Western Europe. This important collection was longtime unnoticed and heavily impaired by weathering and poor storage conditions. Recently the collection is being revalued by conservation and scientific research, offering new perspectives for similar collections in North Western Europe.

The 6th international congress of the abbey museum Ten Duinen 1138 will present the findings about:

– Archaeological collections of window glass inNorth Western Europe
– The contribution of applied scientific research within an innovative framework of interdisciplinary research
– Production, exchange and social value of window glass through history

The 6th international congress of the abbey museum Ten Duinen 1138 is the official start of the research project ‘Lost Luster’ (2013-2015). In this project three partners join forces with the Abbey museum Ten Duinen 1138 to study the large collection of window glass: Vrije Universiteit Brussel – Department of Applied Physics and Photonics – B-PHOT, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage – KIK/IRPA and UGent – Department of History. www.tenduinen.be