Development of a nondestructive method for underglaze painted tiles—demonstrated by the analysis of Persian objects from the nineteenth century

Abstract

The paper presents an analytical method developed for the nondestructive study of nineteenth-century Persian polychrome underglaze painted tiles. As an example, 9 tiles from French and German museum collections were investigated. Before this work was undertaken little was known about the materials used in pottery at that time, although the broad range of colors and shades, together with their brilliant glazes, made these objects stand out when compared with Iranian ceramics of the preceding periods and suggested the use of new pigments, colorants, and glaze compositions. These materials are thought to be related to provenance and as such appropriate criteria for art-historical attribution. The analytical method is based on the combination of different nondestructive spectroscopic techniques using microfocused beams such as proton-induced X-ray emission/proton-induced gamma-ray emission, X-ray fluorescence, 3D X-ray absorption near edge structure, and confocal Raman spectroscopy and also visible spectroscopy. It was established to address the specific difficulties these objects and the technique of underglaze painting raise. The exact definition of the colors observed on the tiles using the Natural Color System helped to attribute them to different colorants. It was possible to establish the presence of Cr- and U-based colorants as new materials in nineteenth-century Persian tilemaking. The difference in glaze composition (Pb, Sn, Na, and K contents) as well as the use of B and Sn were identified as a potential marker for different workshops.

Review of Plasmonic Nanocomposite Metamaterial Absorber

“…The trace of this old-fashioned nanotechnology nowadays can be seen in many museums and historical sites worldwide in the form of colorful tiles [2], lusters [3], glasses [4], etc. The real origin of the coloration was unknown up to the early 20 th century, when theoretical studies shed light into this uncovered optical phenomena [5] which is known today as plasmonics [6] (photon-electron coupling).…”

Proceedings of the 37th International Symposium on Archaeometry, 13th - 16th May 2008, Siena, Italy

“…The spectroscopic examination of these tiles from British collections revealed a similar range of colorants to those characterised in nineteenth century Persian tiles from German and French collections, which were part of a previous research project (Reiche et al 2009). The spectroscopic examination of these tiles from British collections revealed a similar range of colorants to those characterised in nineteenth century Persian tiles from German and French collections, which were part of a previous research project (Reiche et al 2009).…”

“…The present research demonstrated the use of colorants and mixtures that were not employed by Persian potters in the previous centuries (Reiche et al 2009). The present research demonstrated the use of colorants and mixtures that were not employed by Persian potters in the previous centuries (Reiche et al 2009).…”

“…In an earlier study, an analytical approach for the non destructive investigation of underglaze painted ceramics was developed, combining microanalytical X-ray methods for the determination of the chemical composition of the glaze (micro X-ray fluorescence, XRF or micro proton induced X-ray and gamma-ray emission, microPIXE/PIGE) with microRaman and visible reflectance spectroscopy, intended to identify more particularly the types of colorants and pigments used (Reiche et al 2009). The measurement of the entire range of colours appearing on the tiles is aimed at investigating the practices of the Persian master potter Ali Muhammad Isfahani (AMI), who was active in his workshop in Tehran between 1884 and 1893, according to his signed works.…”

Non-invasive quantitative micro-PIXE–RBS/EBS/EBS imaging reveals the lost polychromy and gilding of the Neo-Assyrian ivories from the Louvre collection

“…Moreover, RBS provides depth-resolved information on the elemental distribution of heavy elements in a light matrix allowing the determination of the thickness of the gold leaves used in the gilding process and the method of application. Ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques implemented with an external beam have been largely exploited for the study of heterogeneous cultural heritage objects for many years because they are non-invasive and can be performed in air [5,6,[15][16][17].…”