Rough Beauty. The Case of Ice Glass. Finds from the Tykocin Castle, Poland, and Beyond

Ice glass was invented by glassmakers in Renaissance Venice. Its distinctive surface texture made it an original and very visually appealing item, desirable as fine tableware in the modern era. It was manufactured not only in its place of origin but also in other glass-making centres north of the Alps, especially in the Low Countries. Examples of this glass are known primarily from museum collections and are relatively rarely recorded among archaeological finds. The article aims to discuss the unique finds of ice glass, dated to the 17th century, discovered at the Tykocin Castle complex in north-eastern Poland. An attempt is made to establish their form, function, and attribution through comparative analyses based on museum exhibits and archaeological artefacts from Poland and beyond. The finds from Tykocin can be seen as part of the broader phenomenon that was the popularity of Venetian glass and its imitation, i.e., façon de Venise, in modern Europe.