Mardi Gras Glass Artifacts

Glass inkwell on damp cloth on hands over water. The inkwell still contains traces of ink.

A single inkwell as it arrived at the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University. The inkwell still contains traces of ink.

This inkwell, or inkpot, was likely part of a set that would also have included a sandpot. Sand would have been dusted over the writing to reduce smudging. No remains of an accompanying sandpot have been recovered.

The same inkpot after conservation treatment, still showing traces of ink.

The wine bottles are characterized by sloping shoulders and were most likely cast using the dip-mold technique of bottle manufacturing.

Wine and beer bottles from the Mardi Gras. The beer bottles have a different shoulder than the wine bottles, and their short necks indicate they might have contained beer or ale. The unusual light blue patina seen in one bottle was possibly caused by corrosion products and was not originally intended by the manufacturer.