Elemental Characterization by EDXRF of Imperial Longquan Celadon Porcelain Excavated from Fengdongyan Kiln, Dayao County

Abstract

A mass of Longquan porcelain shards carved with ‘Guan’ or the dragon patterns were unearthed in the early Ming Dynasty layer of the Fengdongyan kiln site at Dayao County. These celadon shards were fired in the Hongwu and Yongle eras of the Ming Dynasty. In order to research the raw materials and firing technology of the imperial porcelain, 85 typical shards were analysed by energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The results indicate that the contents of TiO2 and Fe2O3 in the body vary in the Hongwu and Yongle eras. Compared with Longquan glazes in the Southern Song Dynasty, the average values of K2O, Fe2O3 and TiO2 are higher, but that of CaO is lower in early Ming imperial porcelain glazes. Principal components analysis (PCA) shows that different degrees of elutriation of the same raw materials are the main reason for this difference in the Hongwu and Yongle periods. However, the raw materials of imperial porcelain glazes show no obvious changes and have inherited the earlier tradition. The production and firing technology of imperial porcelain reached a higher level and had not declined in the Early Ming Dynasty.