Fuzzy cluster analysis of the provenance of ancient Yaozhou porcelain body

Abstract

The technique of neutron activation analysis (NAA) has been employed to measure the content of 29 kinds of elements in the sample of Yaozhou porcelain bodies. Then a fuzzy cluster analysis has been conducted to the NAA data and a diagram of the dynamic fuzzy cluster analysis has been achieved. The results indicate that the batch of ancient Yaozhou porcelain bodies, which were of different overglaze color and were produced by different kilns during a period of over 800 years from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 A.D.), has shared a stable and concentrated raw material source. Provenances of porcelain bodies from different times, though having their specific independence, enjoy a close relationship and are not far from one another. Provenances of porcelain bodies made during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties (907-960 A.D.) are found to be closer to one another, while those of the Song (960-1279 A.D.) and the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 A.D.) are comparatively concentrated in certain areas and are different from those of the Tang Dynasty. Both the tri-colored glazed pottery made in Yaozhou kilns during the Tang Dynasty and the Yaozhou porcelain bodies of the Tang period are from the same provenance.