pXRF study of pottery : State of the art and
perspectives
Philippe Colomban, Gulsu Simsek
To cite this version:
Philippe Colomban, Gulsu Simsek. pXRF study of pottery : State of the art and perspectives. TECHNART 2019 – International Conference Non-destructive and microanalytical techniques in art and
cultural heritage, May 2019, Bruges, Belgium. hal-03964390
HAL Id: hal-03964390
https://hal.science/hal-03964390
Submitted on 31 Jan 2023
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Portable XRF study of pottery:
1KOÇ
UNIVERSITY, KUYTAM
Rumelifeneri Yolu, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey
State of the art and Perspectives
[email protected]
G. SIMSEK1 & PH. COLOMBAN2
Aim
Citation Number
Medium price
MONARIS UMR 8233
(FROM NANOMOLECULE TO NANO-OBJECT:
REACTIVITY, INTERACTIONS & SPECTROSCOPIES),
Formerly LADIR UMR 7075 & LM2N UMR 7070
4 Place Jussieu,
[email protected]
75005, Paris, France
Ceramic approach
Algorithmic approach
- Elemental characteristics of Flux (K, Na, Pb, Ca: feldspar,
marl), clays (Al) and Si content; characteristic traces (Bi,
Zr, REE)
- Biplots & Ternary diagrams of major, minor and traces
elements
- Principal Component Analysis
- Impurities tracing the process (purification) and origin
(Fe, Ti, Zr, REE)
- Dendrograms built with selected/non selected data
- Characteristics of trace and second phases related to
rare ores
Advantages & Drawbacks
On-site analysis and selection of
artefacts
Fast collection of data (a few
minutes/spot) higher number
of objects, statistics …
Many instruments available
Université,
Procedures
Although
portable/handheld
X-ray
Fluorescence instruments are available
from decades, the number of publications
reporting on-site analysis of pottery remains
very limited. Most of them have been
focused on the paste composition and not
the (glazed) décor, which is the most
advanced part from the technological and
aesthetical point of view.
Light elements and some traces not
measured (B, C, O, N, Na)
Semi-quantitative (specific calibration)
Difficulty to determine the analyzed
volume (variable depth)
Contact
Positioning and analyzed
surface depend on object
shape
Direct
device
emission:
mainly
directional
Secondary emission of the sample: all
directions !
Depending on system / measuring
conditions :
Different national legislation
Measurement
configuration
is
important! (safety)
2SORBONNE
Representative case studies
1) At the Museum storage rooms
Discrimination between genuine stonewares and fakes (Meissen, Delft, China, etc.)
Boccaro wares:
« copies » of Yixing wares
71 Meissen artefacts
(21 glazed/gilded) from
• Musée National, Sèvres (45)
• The Art Institute of Chicago (7)
• Private US collection (19)
Studying early European porcelain (“China”) production
from Meissen (Saxony/Gernany) created by
Ehrenfried Walther vonTschirnhaus &
Johann Friedrich Böttger
Sèvres artefacts : secure origin,
purchased/exchanged with Sèvres Factory/museum
by A. Brongniart, beginning of 19th century
+
20 artefacts, other origins
1706:
1708:
1708:
1710:
1714:
Stoneware experimentation and production.
The Steinbäckerei first established at Dresden.
Böttger makes hard paste porcelain for the first time.
Augustus the Strong founds the Meissen Factory.
Stoneware production declines because of cost, taste.
G. SIMSEK, F. CASADIO, Ph. COLOMBAN, K. FABER, L. BELLOT-GURLET, G. ZELLEKE, V. MILANDE, E. MOINET
On-site identification of earlier Meissen Böttger red stonewares using portable XRF: 1, body analysis
J. Am. Ceramic Society 97 [9] (2014) 2745-2754
Easy discrimination between genuine Böttger
productions from other ones (including fakes)
is possible.
A variety of gilding techniques, some of them
without gold
G. SIMSEK, Ph. COLOMBAN, F. CASADIO,, L. BELLOT-GURLET, K. FABER, G. ZELLEKE, V. MILANDE, L. TILLIARD
On-site identification of early Böttger red stonewares using portable XRF/Raman instruments: 2, glaze and gilding
analysis
J. Am. Ceramic Society 98[10] (2015) 3006-3013.
2) On-site : building walls
Origin of Iznik tile technology – International Timurids style
Glaze and colouring agents measured
at Edirne mosques
Edirne mosques
Unesco World Heritage
Body, glaze and colouring agents measured
at Iznik Tile Kiln Excavations
Examples of recent works: 2018-2019
Selimiye (1569-1575): Intermediate
between 16th and 17th- c. Iznik
tablewares
Hexagonal blue and white tiles
Chinoiserie style
on Iznik tiles
Innovation for Edirne
Can be re-used from an ancient
destroyed Palace
Muradiye (1435-1436): Coloured
glazed tiles related to Timurid and
Seljuk heritage
Muradiye: (<1436?) Blue-and-white
tiles, very specific production
connected to Üç Şerefeli tiles
Şah Melek Paşa (1429): Similar to
Muradiye’s coloured glazed tiles
Earlier period of
Iznik production: Üç Şerefeli (1410-1447) Close to B&W
tiles of Muradiye
14th-15th centuries
Red body, lead-alkali glaze
with high Sn
Yeşilce (1442): Different, linked to
Seljuk and Timurid production
Classical period of Iznik production:
16th century
High amount of network formers
Fritware/Stonepaste, lead-alkali glaze
= higher firing T. > 800-900 0C
with medium Sn content
Late period of Iznik production:
17th century
lead-alkali glaze with no Sn
Dendrograms: Better interpretation of the results by
social scientists (archaeologists, art historians, etc.)
First on-site, non-invasive analyses of
the tiles excavated at Iznik tile kilns,
carried out with a pXRF instrument
67 Iznik tiles attributed to the productions
from 14th- to 17th-c.from
• Iznik Tile Kiln Excavations, Iznik (25)
• Muradiye Mosque, Edirne (9)
• Şah Melek Paşa Mosque, Edirne (4)
•Yeşilce Mosque, Edirne (2)
•Üç Şerefeli Mosque, Edirne (9)
•Selimiye Mosque, Edirne (18)
G. SIMSEK, O. UNSALAN, K. BAYRAKTAR, Ph. COLOMBAN
On-site pXRF analysis of glaze composition and colouring agents of “Iznik” tiles at
Edirne mosques (15th and 16th-centuries)
Ceramics International 45[1] (2019) 595-605.
Body analyses of the tiles from Iznik Tile Kiln Excavations:
1- 14th-15th-c. productions: low SiO2 high Al2O3
2- 16t-17th-c. productions: high SiO2 low Al2O3
3- 16th-17th-c. productions: medium SiO2 low Al2O3 high CaO
Sodium in the glaze can not be measured
with pXRF but can be calculated by the
amount remaining after the subtraction of
the sum of the other oxides from 100.
G. SIMSEK, B. DEMIRSAR ARLI, S. KAYA, Ph. COLOMBAN
On-site pXRF analysis of glaze, body composition and colouring agents of tiles at the
Iznik tile kilns excavation
J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 39[6] 2019 2199-2209.
3) Measurement at excavation site
Discrimination between Chinese (Yunan) and Vietnamese porcelains with similar decor
Conclusions
Ethical rules of cultural heritage studies now limit destructive
analyses as much as possible.
Therefore, the portable, non-destructive techniques, e.g. pXRF,
pRaman, and FORS have become essential tools for the
analyses of the objects in place or exclusive objects preserved
in the secure rooms of museums or private collections.
Thus, a methodology must be created to make the analytical
procedures more reliable when using portable instruments.
G. SIMSEK, Ph. COLOMBAN, S. WONG, B. ZHAO, A. ROUGEULLE, N.Q. LIEM
Toward a fast non-destructive identification of pottery: the sourcing of 14th-16th century Vietnamese and Chinese
ceramic shards
J. Cultural Heritage 16 [2] (2015) 159-172.
Ming exportation ban for official/major kilns: 14th century
> mid 14th c. large exportation of Vietnamese productions
(Hai Dung Province).
Rather similar productions found in Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi,
Guangdong and Yunnan Provinces, closes to Vietnam
Are all porcelains with Vietnamese style décor
(free & innovative design) from Vietnam?
(blue overglaze painting, Mn-Fe-rich cobalt, ‘chocolate’ bottom)
A. ROUGEULLE, H. RENEL, G. SIMSEK, Ph. COLOMBAN
Medieval ceramic production at Qalhàt, Oman, a multidiciplinary approach
Proc. Seminar for Arabian Studies, Suppl. 44 (2014) 1-16.
Easy pXRF differentiation between Chinese and Vietnamese productions
From Zr, Rb and Sr content
Use of different clays