A study on provenance of marine porcelains from Huaguangjiao No. 1 after sample desalination

Abstract

Huaguangjiao No. 1 is an ancient Chinese sunken ship found near the Yongle Islands in the South China Sea, which was built in the Southern Song Dynasty. In 2007, a systematic excavation of the shipwreck site was conducted and a large number of exported porcelains were salvaged. Determination of the provenance of these exported porcelains will benefit the study of Chinese marine trade and global exchange patterns during the Southern Song Dynasty. However, salts and mineral elements within the seawater may have penetrated pores of the submerged ceramic material and has the potential to interfere with elemental analysis and therefore affect interpretations of provenance. This paper reports elemental analysis of porcelain from Huaguangjiao No. 1 before and after desalination together with analysis of samples from three kiln sites, which have been suggested to represent manufacturing centres for the ware (Cizao, Nan'an and Dehua kilns). Elemental analyses were undertaken using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF). Using hierarchical cluster analysis, the 41 samples from Cizao, Nan'an and Dehua kilns could be accurately distinguished, and the provenance of samples from Huaguangjiao No. 1 have been determined. It was found that residual marine salts and other elements did not greatly interfere with the analysis of provenance, so there is no need to undertake desalination of samples prior to elemental studies of marine salvaged materials.