A technological combination of lead-glaze and calcium-glaze recently found in China: Scientific comparative analysis of glazed ceramics from Shangyu, Zhejiang Province.

Yue Wang,Zhefeng Yang,Jianfeng Cui,Yihang Zhou,Peter F Biehl

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219608

Abstract

To study the relationship between the glazed pottery from southern China and the lead-glazed pottery in northern China in the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), 34 samples unearthed from Shangyu(上虞), Zhejiang Province have been studied by LA-ICP-AES, SEM/EDS and XRD. The results showed that these samples included the typical lead-glazed pottery, the proto-porcelain and the glazed pottery using both lead and calcium as glaze fluxing agents. Previously, the lead-glazed pottery type was considered as the main northern products during the Han dynasty while the calcium-glazed pottery type or the proto-porcelain was the representative of the south of China. However, apart from the two typical types above, a new variety of glaze categorized as the calcium-lead glaze was discovered in the samples from Shangyu. This indicates that there were technology exchanges and amalgamation of lead-glaze and calcium-glaze between the south and the north during the Han Dynasty. As a result, a new type of glazed potteries with both features was created, which had a more beautiful appearance than the proto-porcelain but perhaps had some undesirable aspects. The manufacturing process of the new variety might also lay foundations for the invention of celadon.

Highlights

There has been a long and prosperous history of glazed ceramics production in China
Most of the 34 samples tested in this paper are glazed potteries from Shangyu in the Han Dynasty
The samples can be divided into three groups according to the lead content of glaze

Summary

Introduction

There has been a long and prosperous history of glazed ceramics production in China. Protoporcelain, the first representative, was invented in the Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1046BC), while lead-glazed pottery was popular later in the Han Dynasty. To observe the development of celadon technology in Shangyu and further explore the development process from the proto-porcelain to the fine celadon, green and yellow green glazed ceramics unearthed from the tombs of the Han Dynasty in Shangyu were selected in this study for scientific analysis. Among these samples, a special kind of ceramics takes a large proportion, of which the glaze is smooth and compact

Materials and methods

Analytical methods

Results and discussion

Conclusion