Cobalt, lead, and borax: Preliminary LA-ICP-MS and SEM-EDS analysis of Late-18th- to Mid-19th-century British refined earthenware glazes

Abstract

Late-18th- to mid-19th-century British refined earthenwares are found the world over, yet these have rarely been analyzed using archaeometric techniques, and almost everything we know about differentiating and dating these ceramics comes from written documents. Through a preliminary LA-ICP-MS and SEM-EDS analysis of 25 refined earthenware glazes (five each from creamware, pearlware, whiteware, yellowware, and ironstone), we discuss the possible way historical archaeologists can expand our knowledge of these important ceramics. Specifically, our results suggest that the five most common refined earthenwares can be distinguished based on their chemical composition. Furthermore, this data allows us to engage with the existing literature in novel ways that can confirm, discount, and provide new insights into late-18th-to mid-19th-century refined earthenware glazes by assessing (dis)similarities between their colorants and fluxes.