Exploring Colour Palette in Pottery from Western Anatolia and East Asia—Colour Schemes to Inspire

Abstract

In the present case study, the manufacturing technology for glazed pottery was investigated, with particular focus on the great variety of colours and glaze recipes used in Western Anatolia and East Asia and observed in finds from rescue excavation sites in Greece. An assemblage of 40 ceramic fragments dating from the Late Byzantine and Islamic to the Ottoman/Venetian periods was examined for their decoration, surface treatment, and production technology. The peculiarities of the colour recipes applied on the glazed pottery of different assumed origins of production were investigated, focusing on glaze technology and employing colourants. This was achieved by the use of an analytical workflow that considered the compositional details of pigments, slip coatings, and glazes. The chemical evaluation was carried out utilising X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Raman Spectroscopy provided information about the compositional variation, and the microscopic examination via Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS) yielded information about the sample stratigraphy of the examined ceramic sections. Through a wide range of colour and glaze recipes, this study of glazed ceramics was able to define and express the essential elements of each pottery workshop’s perception of colour.