Faience Production Research Articles

A possible production area of Chinese faience? Reference to beads decorating coffins from Shijia Yucun site, Gansu Province

AbstractShijia Yucun site is a northwestern settlement from the Zhou period (1046–221 BCE). Faience beads used as a personal ornament and coffin decoration are notable among plenty of funerary objects. Thirteen faience objects are determined using analytical electron probe micro‐analysis (EPMA) and scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). The information on their provenance indicates that the types of faience beads around bodies include the mixed‐alkali faience from Europe or the Eurasian Steppe, the soda‐enriched faience from West Asia, and the local products rich in potash. However, faience samples adorning coffins are all local products, and the quality is rougher compared to the faience decorating the body. This unique feature is hardly found in other tombs of Zhou elites. As faience was a precious personal ornament in other stronger polities, it was already available as a general coffin decoration in such a small‐economy feudal state, so faience samples decorating coffins were not likely to be precious gifts from other elites. It is reasonable to assume that faience beads adorning coffins might have been made near the ruins. This investigation is significant to reveal the cultural exchange in the western frontier of the Zhou realm that dates back to the power decline of the Western Zhou period and highlight a possible high‐potash faience production area.

The Warring States period faience beads excavated from Majiayuan Cemetery: characterization and new insights

In 2006, the Majiayuan Cemetery of the Warring States period (475 BCE to 221 BCE) was discovered in Zhangjiachuan county of Gansu province, northwest China. The thousands of exquisite gold/silver artifacts, bronze wares, potteries, and beads unearthed, and have attracted great interest when investigating the dynamics of exchange, mobility, and transcultural encounters in Eurasian artifacts. During the excavation, plenty of blue and purple faience beads were found arranged around the tomb owner in grave M52. Faience beads of the same style unearthed from other graves of the region indicate their mature production at the time of burials. By adopting scientific methods for the chemical and compositional characterization of the faience beads, this study explained their materials and production techniques and provided new insights into faience production in the late Warring States period.

The dissemination of Chinese potash-rich faience: investigation of faience beads from the Wupu cemetery, Xinjiang

The Wupu cemetery, located in the Yizhou District, Hami City, Xinjiang Province, and in the eastern part of the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, is remains from the late Bronze Age. In this study, four faience beads excavated from the Wupu cemetery were examined by stereomicroscopy, synchrotron radiation micro-CT, and electron microprobe analysis. The appearance and compositions of these faience beads are presented and discussed. The results show that these tubular faience beads, glazed by the application glazing method, are all potash-rich faience, consistent with the faience produced locally in China. The faience products from the Central Plains were disseminated to the Hami region of Xinjiang Province during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046 BC–771 BC), reflecting the spread of such faience to the west with the Zhou people mastering the technique of making potash-rich faience.

New approaches for the study of faience using beads from Southern Portugal

A collection of 30 faience beads recovered from the Iron Age necropolis of Vinha das Caliças 4 (Beja, Portugal) was analyzed in order to identify their production technology and provide insights into their possible provenance. The multi-analytical approach employed, combining laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), variable pressure scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (VP-SEM-EDS) and micro-X-ray diffraction (µ-XRD), highlights the difficulties that arise from the analysis of weathered faience objects, and which are augmented by their intrinsic heterogeneous nature.VP-SEM-EDS analysis and LA-ICP-MS mapping revealed that the disk-shaped faience beads were manufactured using the cementation glazing method. Copper, most likely in the form of bronze scrapings, was used to impart a blue-green hue to these beads. Micro-XRD also revealed that the disk-shaped beads were manufactured using feldspathic sand. On the other hand, the cubic-shaped bead, identified as an Egyptian blue frit by VP-SEM-EDS and μ-XRD, owes its vivid blue color to the tubular crystals of this well-known synthetic pigment.Trace element analysis suggests that all beads were manufactured in the Levant region using coastal sands.Ultimately, this study highlighted the importance of the use of a combination of microstructural and geochemical criteria in the identification of faience production technology and provenance. The importance of the selection of the sampling strategy in LA-ICP-MS analysis of weathered faience objects was also emphasized.

Peculiarities of china painting of the Budy Porcelain Factory on the example of Boris Pianyda’s works (1970s — 1990s)

The purpose of this article is to study the artistic language of Borys Pianyda, a well-known master of Ukrainian decorative painting. As the main ele-ments of the artistic language, we consider: 1) formal connections in a work of art; 2) composition and plastic language of painting; 3) figurative and stylistic features.
 Borys Petrovych Pianyda (1938–2020) is a well-known master of decorative painting, who devoted his entire creative life to the production of faience art products. His art is a vivid example of the author’s creativity. Many of the artist’s works became well-known and were widely distributed in thousands of copies. His painting is very recognizable; Borys Pianyda is characterized by a special author’s artistic style of decoration.
 For modern art history analysis, its ensemble painting is of great importance. It is primarily associated with the decoration of china and complex faience products. The artist very often had to develop a special style of decor that could be applied to products of various shapes.
 The methodology. To study the problem and disclose research tasks, we applied: the method of comparative analysis; methods for analyzing the form and composition of artistic painting. The historical-chronological method was used as a spe-cial method.
 The results. Our analysis of the main decor criteria on the example of the services of the 1970s — 1990s allows us to note the special nature of artistic and figurative generalization. This author’s style of B. Pianyda has obvious features of the ensemble and expresses the author’s vision of the stylistic unity of decoration. In general, we single out several of the most characteristic types of ensemble painting. 1. Ensembles of flat type. This is a special type of painting, when the decoration covers the forms of products as tightly as possible. 2. Ensembles with dominance of symbols and images. This type is characterized by the use of one (sometimes two) key image-signs (for example, a fading flower). 3. An important type is the ensemble story. In the creative palette of B. Pianyda’s murals, this is a completely separate topic, it is extremely authorial and subjective. The narrative is typical for the artists of decorative and applied painting of the second half of the XX century. Also, this trait can be considered a characteristic of a whole generation of artists. However, B. Pianyda’s ensembles-stories have many special features that are worthy of separate consideration. 4. Finally, formal ensemble murals are distinguished by the fact that their decorative program develops the ideas of the dominance of the form of murals over the plot.
 The scientific novelty. Creativity of Borys Pianyda in this research context is considered for the first time. The features of his professional painting language as a systemic artistic phenomenon have not been studied before.

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC COLOR DETERMINATION OF CERAMIC PIGMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION CERAMICS AND REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM

The purpose of this work is the spectrophotometric determination of the color of ceramic pigments for the development of technology for the production of high-quality ceramic paints of a wide color palette for decorating building ceramics, porcelain and faience products. In this regard, using the principles of heterovalent isomorphic substitution of atoms in crystals, the compositions of ceramic pigments were designed on the basis of the anorthite derivatives containing transition elements with the general formula Са1-хMexAl2+xSi2-xО8, where calcium and silicon ions were replaced by aluminum and transition element, Ме – Cо, Ni, Fe, Cr. The color characteristics were taken on the UV-2600 spectrophotometer with «UV Probe» software. Measurement of wavelengths was in the range of -220-1400 nm. For Fe3+ with tetrahedral coordination, the brown color is due to the d–d transition. The absorption wavelengths of the samples corresponded to 758-283 nm. Со2+ is characterized by a coordination number of 4, the wavelengths of the absorbed light are 1328, 776, 625, 551, and 408 nm. In this case, the brightness varies from 5 to 64%. The color of the samples is violet-blue. For the yellow-green complex [NiО6], the absorption bands are located at ⅄ = 894, 693, 622, 385. The absorption spectra of chromium-containing pigments are characterized by the presence of maxima in the region of 536, 408, 310 nm, which corresponds to the green region of the spectrum

New evidence of long-distance interaction across the Himalayas: Faience beads from Western Tibet

Abstract Faience beads have been excavated from the Gebusailu site in western Tibet and date back as far as the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. As the earliest faience found on the Tibetan Plateau so far, these beads provide important evidence for the cross-regional exchange in the pre-historic western Tibet. Randomly selected thirteen samples were analyzed by SR-μCT, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS. The CT slices suggested that the structure of the samples was formed on cylindrical core and glazed by cementation. The glaze recipes indicate the samples can be classified as soda-rich faience with pure copper ore, the scrap or oxidation product of the copper metal, as the possible colorant. Those beads were possibly imported from Egypt or somewhere impacted by the Egyptian faience production technology. This implies that the ethnic groups on the plateau or other regions already crossed the Himalayas and integrated into the treasure exchange network of Eurasia, making the decorative luxury commodities penetrate to the Tibetan Plateau in 3500 years ago.

Production of ceramic tiles by combining Moroccan phosphate mine tailings with abundant local clays

<p class="Mabstract">This study offers an easy, economical, and ecological solution to manufacture a ceramic faience product with excellent mechanical properties by combining Moroccan phosphate mine tailings and two abundant local clays. The use of these clays alone was inconceivable because they do not generate a material that meets the mechanical requirements.</p><p class="Mabstract">A mixture design strategy conducted the optimization of the formulation. Therefore, ten tests were carried out. The ceramic tiles produced are characterized by their physical properties (water absorption, shrinkage), mechanical properties (flexural strength), and surface properties (observation by scanning electron microscopy).</p><p class="Mabstract">The results show that phosphate mine tailings improve the mechanical properties of ceramic tiles. Industrial use at a rate of 33% in formulas based on abundant local clays could, therefore, be envisaged to design faience products, conforming to the mechanical and technical requirements. This mode of production contributes to saving non-renewable natural resources, preserving the environment, and aligns with the principle of sustainable development.</p><div><div><p> </p><p> </p></div></div>

NEW DATA ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF FAIENCE PRODUCTION IN CENTRAL EUROPE IN THE EARLY BRONZE AGE

New data on faience production technologies in central Europe come from an analysis of 12 faience beads from an Early Bronze Age cemetery in Poland. The beads were tested with the EPMA method. Altogether 65 measurements were made. In terms of morphology, the artifacts are all the same, but they differ in microstructure and chemical composition. For some a mixed alkali flux was used, for others soda‐rich plant ashes. Even so, all of the beads seem to have been made from local raw materials in central Europe (soda‐rich plant ashes could have come from plants growing near one of the mainland salt sources, which are frequent, for example, in south‐eastern Poland).

New evidence for the transcontinental spread of early faience

This paper presents compositional results for six faience beads from Adunqiaolu, an Early Bronze Age site in western Xinjiang, China. It is shown that all analysed samples were made of mixed-alkali flux with sodium oxide 8–10% and potassium oxide 5–9%. The microstructure of samples indicates that cementation glazing was used. The analytical results, together with the typology of the faience beads were then compared with data of Bronze Age faience beads found in Europe and East Asia. There are clear similarities in both typological and technological features. As the earliest faience objects discovered in China so far, the Adunqiaolu beads set an essential starting point for the further discussion on the early exchange network evidenced by faience products and long distance transmission of technologies and knowledge. This observation is of significance for deepening our understanding of prehistoric exchange between West and East across the Eurasian continent by providing another element in addition to metallurgy, cereal crops and herding animals.

Still-lifes of the "Small Dutch" as Primary Sources of Motives of the "German Flowers" in Porcelain

The aim of the research is to analyse the sources of inspiration of motives of the "German flowers" ("the Saxon pattern", "the Saxon attire") in the European porcelain and the faience, connected with creative works of thw well-known masters of the "small Dutch". The research methodology includes ontological, historical and chronological methods as well as the method of the art criticism analysis. The ontological method is connected with the presence of a genre of a flower still-life in the paintings of old masters. The second method correlates with the list of names of artists who used to turn to the image of field and garden flowers in the Flemish and Holland fine arts in the ХVІІ–ХVІІІ centures. The method of the art criticism analysis will be used for the analysis of works of leading European manufactories of thin ceramics where the assortment patterns of "the Saxon attire" were largely popular. Scientific novelty is connected with the defining of interrelations of the decor of the "German flowers" in the Ukrainian porcelain and faience of the end of the ХVІІІ – the beginnings of the ХХ centures with the samples of flower still-lifes of the "small Dutch" in the ХVІ–ХVІІІ ct. Conclusions. Thus, having considered the still lives of the first elements of the "little Dutch" of the XVIII-XVIII centuries and European porcelain and faience products of the XVIII-XX centuries the genetic affinity of their floral motives was established. In particular, the works of leading European centers of “white gold”, beginning with Meissen and Berlin, and ending with Ukrainian Korts and Baranivka, evidence this. At the same time, artists of fine ceramic enterprises relied on a bank of drawings and iconography of flowers of “fantasy bouquet” (from different seasons), which included, first of all, motives of “king-flower” (tulip, carnation, daffodil, rose) surrounded by flowers of “royal suite”, namely, daisies, cornflowers, poppies, blushes, marigolds, violets, lilies of the valley, peonies, forget-me-nots, wild hips, and more.

Pedasa Athena Kutsal Alanı Arkaik Dönem Fayans Adak Sunuları

The archaeological and epigraphical evidence obtained from surveys and excavations conducted in Pedasa, one of the Lelegian settlements located in the Halicarnassian Peninsula, revealed that the only sanctuary of the city was dedicated to the goddess Athena for the time being. The faience objects which form one of the remarkable groups among the imported votive offerings and ritual equipment belonging to 7th and 6th centuries BC shed light on the interregional and overseas connections of the sanctuary. The artefacts consisting of certain vases, amulets and beads are among the so-called “East Greek production” or “Greco Egyptian” and were produced by the middle of the 7th century and throughout the 6th century BC under the strong impacts of the Egyptian art. The double vases with kneeling figure within the Leopard Spot Group, Egyptianising style pyxis, New Year flasks, amulets and disc shaped beads were votive offerings, whose similar examples were documented in the contemporary sanctuaries and grave contexts in the Aegean and Mediterranean world. The shallow bowls with spool lug, most probably were one of the ritual tablewares used for certain ceremonies, are noteworthy by their form and distribution pattern. Apart from the example published from Timpone della Motta in Italy, these bowls have been documented in Athena Sanctuary in Pedasa, Aphrodite Temple in Miletus and Artemis Temple in Ephesus. Their paste and glaze features, different from the other Archaic Greek faience, imply unknow faience production center in Ionia, which has already been affirmed and has not been localized yet. Due to the distribution pattern, Ephesus was mentioned as a possible production center, but Miletus should be considered among the strongest candidates. The amulets, commonly believed to protect woman and child, represent the personal religious beliefs of the owners. The worshippers who dedicated these amulets were most likely the Carians who lived in the Nile Delta and were influenced by the Egyptian religious practices or their Egyptian originated wiwes or attendants. As it is well known, Carians together with Ionians served in the Psammetichus I’s (664-610 BC) troops in Nile Delta and the grave stelai, Carian inscriptions and masonry markings attested the Carian descending community in Egypt from the second half of the 7th century BC until the late 6th century BC.

ARTISTIC DECORATION OF FAIENCE WARES IN LATVIA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY AND THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

This research paper is an investigation of the techniques used in decoration of Riga faience from the beginning of faience production in Riga in the middle of the 19th century until the First World War. Relatively few products from this period are represented in the Riga History Museum and Riga Porcelain Museum; in the summer of 2016, the author visited 22 regional history and art museums of Latvia and got acquainted with their ceramics collections in order to find more historical artefacts and gain more complete overview of porcelain decoration techniques used for them. Work with museum collections revealed a lot of previously unknown information about the development of decoration techniques during the faience production period in Riga, from 1841 to 1962. The article deals with the problems of faience terminology and development of decoration techniques in the period from 1841 until the First World War. The article offers conclusions on the nature of the collections of Latvian regional museums, their collection–building strategy, preservation conditions, state of the objects and their availability for exploratory work.

Nondestructive characterization of ancient faience beads unearthed from Ya’er cemetery in Xinjiang, Early Iron Age China

Abstract Faience is a kind of ancient ceramic product which was widely found in many areas. Chinese faience appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BCE), about three thousand years later than western Asia. The sudden and late emergence of Chinese faience implies that its production technology may be influenced by the West. However, little information is known about how the faience productions spread from the West to central China. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located in the northwestern part of China, is one of the most important areas of cultural exchanges between the East and the West since ancient times. The study of faience unearthed in Xinjiang is of great significance to explore the early trade and cultural exchanges between central China and the West. In this paper, Synchrotron Radiation Micro-CT (SR-μCT) and Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF) have been applied to obtain the information of microstructure and chemical composition of faience beads excavated from Ya’er cemetery (1050-300BCE) in Hami Basin, The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. These faience beads are the earliest faience artifacts in China up to our knowledge and this is the first time to analyze the excavated faience in Xinjiang scientifically. Based on the microstructure of faience beads in CT slices, it is found that two glazing methods, direct application and efflorescence, were used in faience production. Additionally, a cylindrical core made of organic material sustained the faience bead during shaping and firing. According to EDXRF analysis, various glaze recipes have been used to produce these faience beads, possibly indicating different provenance. The characteristics of higher Na2O/K2O ratio of faience glaze showed that these faience beads might come from the West. Thus, it is suggested that there was a faience road from Western Asia through Xinjiang to central China about three thousand years ago.

Investigation of ancient Harappan faience through LA-ICP-AES and SR-μ CT

Faience (glazed quartz) production is one of the complex craft techniques used by artisans to create high-status goods for elite consumers during the Harappan Phase, 2600–1900 BC. In this study, some faience objects selected from Harappa site, Pakistan were analyzed by LA-ICP-AES and SR-μ CT. The results suggested that these faience objects can be divided into two groups by using different flux: sajji-khar (a kind of plant ash) and mixed alkali flux; copper and iron were used as coloring elements in the blue and red faience; the forming technology of two groups of faience was similar:these beads were firstly formed on an organic cylinder and then glazed by using the efflorescence technique according to replica experiments and the structural information revealed by SR-μ CT slices. Up to our knowledge, the results firstly and scientifically confirm that the production of the Harappan faience beads adopts the efflorescence glazing method. The research has increased the understanding about production technology of ancient Indus faience.

Discerning differences: Ion beam analysis of ancient faience from Naukratis and Rhodes

Faience technology was known in Egypt since the Predynastic Period and practiced for a period also in Bronze Age Greece, but, having been lost, was reintroduced to the Greek world only in the first half of the first millennium BC. The Greek island of Rhodes and the Greek-Egyptian trade harbour of Naukratis in the Nile Delta are suspected to be key centres of early Greek-style faience production, exporting amulets and vessels across the Mediterranean region. Yet the nature and scale of their production and their role in technology transfer, vis-à-vis Egyptian and Levantine/Phoenician production, remain little understood. The main aim of this study was to discover whether it is possible to define chemical characteristics for the faience produced and found at Naukratis, and to use this data to differentiate between artefacts produced here and elsewhere.A programme of ion beam (PIXE and PIGE) analysis was conducted under the CHARISMA transnational access scheme, known to be a suitable tool for studying ancient vitreous artefacts as it provides a non-destructive means of obtaining precise and accurate quantitative compositional data. Both the internal body of damaged objects as well as the outer glaze layer were analysed, of which only the latter are discussed here. The results of this study indicate that the faience found at both Naukratis and on Rhodes is compositionally similar. However, some small differences were found in the raw materials used in its production which may help us to better characterise the production of different faience manufacturing centres.

The collection of Anabaptist (Hutterite) ceramics in the Moravian Museum in Brno

The Anabaptists, who started to settle in Moravia after 1526, brought with them the production of faience. They were concentrated mainly in the demesnes of Southern Moravia (current districts of Břeclav, Hodonín, Uherské Hradiště and Znojmo), but after 1620 as non-Catholics, the Anabaptists had to leave. They went mostly to the neighbouring Kingdom of Hungary, today the western region of Slovakia where they continued to produce faience. After the Anabaptist community disintegrated in the last quarter of the 17th century, the production of faience was taken over by individual craftsmen. The Moravian Museum in Brno holds one of the most representative collections of Anabaptist faience in the Czech Republic. Its origin dates back to the early years after the foundation of the Francis Museum, the predecessor of today’s Moravian Museum. At present, it comprises around 250 items.

Spectroscopy of 16th century Portuguese tin-glazed earthenware produced in the region of Lisbon

The oldest kilns producing tin glaze wares discovered in the region of Lisbon were located in the south shore of Tagus river at Santo António da Charneca (SAC) and Mata da Machada (MM). Firing this type of pottery from the fourth quarter of the 15th century to mid-16th century, they were located about 20km away from central Lisbon. Many other examples of ceramics produced in Lisbon workshops from that period are also known and exist in museums or archaeological collections, in spite of the fact that only one kiln dated from that period was found in Lisbon until now.Therefore, the spectroscopic characterization of ceramics found in Lisbon archaeological contexts (attributed to Lisbon workshops) – and also from SAC or MM – was needed and was performed here. Sherds representative of these faience production centres in the Lisbon region dated from the 16th/17th centuries were studied with the use of non-invasive spectroscopies, namely micro-Raman, Ground State Diffuse Reflectance Absorption (GSDR) and X-ray fluorescence emission (XRF). X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were also performed. Also clays were collected both in the North and South shores of the river Tagus, as much as possible from the same clay sources as used in the initial workshops.The obtained results evidence a clear similarity in the pastes of the pottery of the Lisbon region, quartz, gehlenite and diopside (or augite) being the major components. Clays are from Miocene origin, but differences between the ceramic pastes were detected pointing to the use of several clay sources. The spectroscopic trend exhibited at SAC and MM pottery is remarkably different, quartz being the major component of those pastes, and clays are from Pliocene origin.

Portuguese tin-glazed earthenware from the 17th century. Part 2: A spectroscopic characterization of pigments, glazes and pastes of the three main production centers

Sherds representative of the three Portuguese faience production centers of the 17th century – Lisbon, Coimbra and Vila Nova were studied with the use of mostly non-invasive spectroscopies, namely: ground state diffuse reflectance absorption (GSDR), micro-Raman, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and proton induced X-ray (PIXE) or X-ray fluorescence emission (XRF). X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were also performed.The obtained results evidence a clear similarity in the pastes of the pottery produced Vila Nova and some of the ceramic pastes from Lisbon, in accordance with documental sources that described the use of Lisbon clays by Vila Nova potters, at least since mid 17th century. Quartz and Gehlenite are the main components of the Lisbon’s pastes, but differences between the ceramic pastes were detected pointing out to the use of several clay sources. The spectroscopic trend exhibited Coimbra’s pottery is remarkably different, Quartz and Diopside being the major components of these pastes, enabling one to well define a pattern for these ceramic bodies.The blue pigment from the Lisbon samples is a cobalt oxide that exists in the silicate glassy matrix, which enables the formation of detectable cobalt silicate microcrystals in most productions of the second half of the 17th century. No micro-Raman cobalt blue signature could be detected in the Vila Nova and Coimbra blue glazes. This is in accordance with the lower kiln temperatures in these two production centers and with Co2+ ions dispersed in the silicate matrix. In all cases the white glaze is obtained with the use of tin oxide. Hausmannite was detected as the manganese oxide mineral used to produce the purple glaze (wine color “vinoso”) in Lisbon.

Egyptian faience glazing by the cementation method part 2: cattle dung ash as a possible source of alkali flux

Based on our current awareness, there are three distinct primary sources of alkali flux in the ancient Egyptian faience making: natron, soda rich plant ash and the so-called ‘mixed alkali fluxes’. Whereas the nature and origin of the first two types are identified to some extent, there are more questions regarding mixed alkali fluxes. In an attempt to provide further clarification on the latter source, a series of replication experiments on the production of Egyptian faience by the cementation glazing method were conducted using cattle dung ash as the source of alkali flux. After firing at 980 °C, the appearance of the faience objects, the microstructure and the chemical composition of selected samples obtained using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were investigated. The discussion has primarily focused on cattle dung ash as the most, or one of the most, available sources of ash in ancient societies and its possible use as a source of alkali flux in the production of Egyptian faience, at least by the cementation glazing method.