A Scientific Investigation on the Provenance and Technology of a Black‐figure Amphora Attributed to the Priam Group*

Abstract

The restoration of a Greek black-figure amphora provided an opportunity to study the provenance and production technology of the vase. The composition of the ceramic body, determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), matches that of Attic products. Investigation by X-ray diffraction and reflectance spectroscopy suggests a maximum firing temperature around 900 ° C and a body re-oxidation temperature around 800 ° C, respectively. The morphology and composition of black, red and dark red surface areas were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy-dispersive analysis; the black areas show the features of a typical well-vitrified black gloss, while the red areas were most probably obtained by simple burnishing of the body; the dark red additions, on the other hand, are the likely result of a partial re-oxidation of a clay-ochre mixture.

Technological features of Apulian red figured pottery

“…Certain vases were produced with the ''classic'' Attic technology, other vases with a different technology, never previously reported in the literature, which used the application of the engobe layer. The ''intentional red'' Attic technique has been described (Farnsworth and Wisely, 1958;Mirti et al, 2006;Tite et al, 1982); however, our results (chemical composition, thickness, absence of birefringence) are not consistent with this technique. They are consistent with the use of fractions of the same clay for the ceramic body and for the ingobbio rosso but with different granulometry.…”

“…They could have been imported from Greek colonies on the coast of the region or directly from Greece as hypothesized in previous archaeological studies (Scarfì, 1962). However, the comparison between chemical compositional data in the literature (Jones, 1986;Mirti et al, 2006) and ours does not support an Attic provenance.…”

“…There is as yet a lack of data about red figured vase production from Magna Grecia (Canosa et al, 1996;Grave et al, 1997;Mirti, 2000;Mirti et al, 1996Mirti et al, , 2004Mirti et al, , 2006; only approximately ten fragments of Apulian red figured pottery have been analysed (Canosa et al, 1996;Grave et al, 1997), a small number and from different sites, so the results cannot be considered representative of such complex, structured and assorted production.…”

“…Archaeometric investigations on red figured pottery have so far mainly dealt with Attic production, and were aimed at understanding the specific characteristics of each step in the overall production cycle, with particular attention devoted to the technique utilized to realize the black gloss (Canosa et al, 1996;Ingo et al, 2000;Jones, 1986;Kingery, 1991;Maniatis et al, 1993;Mirti, 2000;Mirti et al, 1996Mirti et al, , 2004Mirti et al, , 2006Noble, 1960;Tang et al, 2001;Tite et al, 1982). There is as yet a lack of data about red figured vase production from Magna Grecia (Canosa et al, 1996;Grave et al, 1997;Mirti, 2000;Mirti et al, 1996Mirti et al, , 2004Mirti et al, , 2006; only approximately ten fragments of Apulian red figured pottery have been analysed (Canosa et al, 1996;Grave et al, 1997), a small number and from different sites, so the results cannot be considered representative of such complex, structured and assorted production.…”

Characterization of Coral Red Slips on Greek Attic Pottery*

“…These achievements in ceramic firing have been qualitatively described by others (e.g., Farnsworth and Wisely 1958; Noble 1965; Winter 1978). Surprisingly, however, only a handful of studies reporting quantitative analyses of the composition of black gloss have been published (Kingery 1991; Maniatis et al 1993; Mirti et al 2004, 2006), and even fewer describing the composition of the red gloss (Tite et al 1982). It is this latter, understudied red slip (commonly called coral red) that is the primary focus of this study.…”