Characterization of Coral Red Slips on Greek Attic Pottery*

Walton, Marc; Doehne, Eric; Trentelman, Karen; Chiari, Giacomo; Maish, Jeffrey P.; Buxbaum, Alex

doi:10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00413.x

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous work into the composition and morphology of samples of the ancient red gloss known as Coral Red revealed two distinct red gloss compositions, differing by their Ca and Mg content. [5] Red gloss with a high Ca/Mg content was found to have increased porosity, which enabled the re-oxidation to hematite in the final firing stage, allowing both black and red gloss to be created in a single firing. By contrast, the composition of red gloss with low Ca/Mg content was found to be indistinguishable from that found in black gloss, and thus different firing conditions would have been necessary to make both black and red gloss together on a single vessel, suggesting the use of multiple firings.…”

Section: Compositional Study Of Black and Underlying Red Glossy Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Investigating the firing protocol of Athenian pottery production: A Raman study of replicate and ancient sherds

Cianchetta

Maish

Saunders

et al. 2015

J Raman Spectroscopy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The black and red coloration of ancient Athenian pottery is due to the different oxidation states of iron oxide: reduced Fe 2+ (black) and oxidized Fe 3+ (red). It has long been thought that a single, three-step firing -oxidation-reduction-oxidation -was used to manipulate the Fe valence state and achieve different degrees of vitrification between the slip and the body to produce the high contrast black and red images. However, complex and layered structures, with slips of different color overlaying each other, are sometimes found, raising the question of the adequacy of a single three-step firing to produce complex architectures. The firing conditions used in the production of an ancient vessel in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, in which a red glossy layer is found between the black gloss and the body, were investigated. The ancient specimen was compared to a set of replicates produced and fired under a series of controlled temperatures and oxygen fugacities. Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the mineralogical phases present in both the ancient and the replicate samples, and the shape and position of the E g mode in hematite provided a measure of the temperatures at which the minerals were formed. The results suggest the ancient vessel was produced using at least two separate firings: a high temperature firing under oxidizing conditions to create the underlying red glossy layer, followed by a three-step firing to create the surface black gloss decoration. This finding suggests the firing of ancient Athenian pottery was more complex than previously thought.

show abstract

Section: Compositional Study Of Black and Underlying Red Glossy Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[5] Another type of red glossy material is a very thin clay layer sometimes found on the unpainted surface of vases, and also sometimes underlying the black gloss. It is this layer, an example of which was found on a fragment from an ancient vessel attributed to the Berlin Painter (JPGM 81.Ae.206.d.2005, see Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the firing protocol of Athenian pottery production: A Raman study of replicate and ancient sherds

Cianchetta

Maish

Saunders

et al. 2015

J Raman Spectroscopy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To strengthen the red colour of non-glossy zones, fine clay preparations were sometime affixed to these zones. It is specially the case of Attic pottery with coral red slip (Walton et al 2009). The achievement of such pottery requires a perfect mastery of firing protocol but also the use of two different clay preparations.…”

Section: Outlines and Historical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nano-crystallization in Decorative Layers of Greek and Roman Ceramics

Sciau

2016

Nanoscience and Cultural Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Besides metallic nanocrystals of lusterware (Chapter "Lustre and Nanostructures-Ancient Technologies Revisited"), other nanoscale crystals can be found in ancient ceramics and more specifically in their decorative layers or coatings. These crystals can play a major role in the physical properties of these thin layers or can be an indicator of the manufacturing process. These thin layers are formed during firing and result from physicochemical reactions among the diverse compounds of raw preparation. In general, the firing conditions are not suitable for obtaining large crystals and many of the formed phases have crystal sizes of a few tens nanometres. Over a long period of time and throughout the world, the variety of raw preparations and firing conditions used are so diverse that it is not conceivable to give here an exhaustive rundown. In this chapter, we will focus our attention on some decorative layers of Greek and Roman potteries for which oxide nanocrystals play a key role regarding the optical and/or mechanical properties. These decorations were obtained from clay preparations and their physical properties result directly from the nanocrystalline size and the behaviour of clay minerals.

show abstract

“…The pottery production from the Greek and Roman periods, with the manufacturing of Attic, Campanian or Terra Sigillata wares, was highly marked by the design of high-gloss surface finishes, based on the vitrification of a clay preparation of suitable composition deposited on the vessel before firing [1][2][3][4]. This gloss had a major role in the success of these ceramics and defines largely the appearance (color, brightness), toughness, impermeability and more generally the physical properties of the vessels [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%