Abstract
This chapter provides insights into Chinese ceramic technologies of both bodies and glazes as well as provenance by using isotopes applied to a number of case studies. The use of Sr isotopes to investigate Chinese high-fired Celadon wares and blue-and-white Jingdezhen porcelain (Jiangxi province) has revealed a clear distinction associated with the fluxes used in the glazes: plant ash in celadons and limestone in Jingdezhen glazes, something that is not clear from major element analysis. Furthermore, the technique is able to suggest by implication the nature of the silica source used in the glazes—normally weathered granitic rocks or metamorphic rocks (porcelain stone) which also contains Sr. This leads to an isotopic mixing line of the 2 Sr-rich components and is proof that 2 Sr-rich components were mixed in the manufacture of limestone glaze. This is not the case for plant ash glazes. Eventually, the technique may be used in provenance studies. Like Sr isotope analysis, lead isotope analysis relies on there being a lack of or a minimal change in the isotope ratios when the raw materials are heated. Lead isotope analysis links the use of lead in glazes to the original metal ore and if a kiln uses a distinctive lead source in its glazes, it can provide a provenance for the pottery. This has been very successful in distinguishing Chinese Tang sancai wares made in the Huangye, Huangbao, Liquanfang and Qionglai kilns.
Highlights
This chapter provides insights into Chinese ceramic technologies of both bodies and glazes as well as provenance by using isotopes applied to a number of case studies
This paper contributes to the Topical Collection (TC) “Ceramics: Research questions and answers” aimed at guiding researchers in the study of archaeological ceramics from excavation to study and preservation in museum collections
Each contribution has a tutorial approach covering one of the main issues pertaining to the study of ceramics: research questions and sampling criteria (Gliozzo 2020a); the chemical (Hein and Kilikoglou 2020) and mineralogical-petrographic (Montana 2020) investigation of raw materials; the technological character and suitability of raw materials (Gualtieri 2020); This article is part of the Topical Collection on Ceramics: Research questions and answers
Summary
Sr isotopic ratio and the Sr concentration for the two mixing components. 87Sr 86SrM against is a hyperbola and is dependent on the weight ratio between component A and component B (Fig. 3). On the one hand, when the silica source and calcareous flux with similar Sr contents but different 87Sr/86Sr signatures are mixed when making glaze, the Sr isotopic composition of the glaze should be a mixture of values contributed from the two raw materials according to Eq 1. Ma et al (2016) showed that the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD) Blanc De Chine glaze (Fig. 5) and Qing dynasty (1636–1912 AD) blue-and-white glaze produced at Dehua, Fujian province were fluxed with different calcareous fluxes: the former by calcareous plant ash and the latter by limestone This result is in accordance with available historical records. When lead isotopes are determined in Tang sancai pottery glazed wares excavated from a range of archaeological sites and compared to the results for kiln sites held in the PKU database, we may be able to provide their exact provenance
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