Techniques of gilding and surface-enrichment in pre-Hispanic American metallurgy

Bray, Warwick

doi:10.1016/b978-0-7506-1611-9.50020-0

Cited by 30 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Therefore, we will test the potential of Raman analysis with a mobile instrument in combination with the qualitative elemental compositions obtained with a portable X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument. Our objective is the identification of characteristics tracing the patina technology in light of procedure descriptions …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On‐site Raman and XRF analysis of Japanese/Chinese bronze/brass patina – the search for specific Raman signatures

Colomban

Tournié

Maucuer³

et al. 2011

J Raman Spectroscopy

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The assignment of Asian bronzes and brasses is difficult because the copies of ancient pieces have been made a long time ago in different countries. A selection of 30 Japanese and/or Chinese bronzes/brasses are studied on‐site in the storage and exhibition rooms of the Cernuschi Museum, in Paris, using portable Raman and X‐ray fluorescence spectrometers. Attempts are made to identify specific Raman signatures of the patina to detect similarity in a nondestructive procedure. X‐ray fluorescence measurements allow an identification of two brass artefacts and different types of bronze, including lead‐rich and mixed lead–tin–zinc‐rich compositions. The following phases are identified: CuO, Cu2O, Cu2S, tin oxides, ZnO, Cu3(OH)4SO4, Cu4(OH)6SO4, 3PbOPbSO4 H2O, PbSO4/PbO, Pb(AsO4)3Cl, HgO/HgS. Relics of the mould, retained as concretions at the artefact surface are also identified: TiO2, SiO2, and different soda(−lime) glasses. Patina with very similar colour and habit may have different Raman signatures. This study offers tools to classify the artefacts in a noninvasive way. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On‐site Raman and XRF analysis of Japanese/Chinese bronze/brass patina – the search for specific Raman signatures

Colomban

Tournié

Maucuer³

et al. 2011

J Raman Spectroscopy

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“…This is a technique well known from the Americas (Lechtman, 1973;Scott, 1983;Bray, 1993), but has never been conclusively demonstrated in the Old World, or indeed anywhere at such an early date. This is a technique well known from the Americas (Lechtman, 1973;Scott, 1983;Bray, 1993), but has never been conclusively demonstrated in the Old World, or indeed anywhere at such an early date.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Depletion gilding from Third Millennium BC Ur

Niece¹

1995

Iraq

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Three chisels (Fig. 1), excavated by Woolley (1934) in the 1920s from an Early Dynastic III grave at Ur, and now in the British Museum, were believed to be made of solid gold. Recently, however, it was noticed that the gold surface was blistering in places, revealing coppery coloured metal beneath, suggesting that they were gilded.The chisels were from a very rich grave (PG 800), known as “the Queen's Grave”. It is attributed to Queen Pu-abi (in the original excavation report her name was mistakenly transcribed as Shub-ad) and dated to c. 2600 BC. Five chisels U. 10429–33 were found with a gold saw behind a large steatite bowl which contained various copper tools. Part of the material from this grave is now in the British Museum. Other items are in the University Museum, Philadelphia, including two of the gold chisels and the gold saw, and in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad. The purpose of these gold tools has never been fully explained; presumably they were symbolic rather than functional. The two small chisels in the British Museum appear to have had handles and the excavation report lists rings of gold binding (U. 10443) as “probably belonging to their [the gold tools] handles” (Woolley 1934, p. 81). Bitumen and wood handles were found on copper chisels from Ur. The larger chisel is burnished all over and appears not to have been hafted. A small chisel (U.9130) and spearhead (U.9122) from another grave (PG 580) were also examined (Figs. 2 and 4). The tools are here referred to by their Ur excavation numbers, as in Woolley's report. The British Museum Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities registration numbers are given in the concordance below.

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“…Special attention received the study of the gilding techniques by ion beam analysis, particularly, the depletion gilding or mise en couleur [44]. This original r technique was developed in ancient America to provide a golden appearance to rich copper gold alloys.…”

Section: Iii) Gold and Bronze Artifactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reeves in 1985 (Tutankhamen and his papyri, Göttinger Miszellen 88, [39][40][41][42][43][44][45], that religious text on papyrus might have been concealed within royal funerary on the basis of a similar statue in the British Museum and other smaller statuettes from other tombs in the Valley of the Kings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%