Zn in Athenian Black Gloss Ceramic Slips: A Trace Element Marker for Fabrication Technology

Walton, Marc; Trentelman, Karen; Cianchetta, Ilaria; Maish, Jeffrey P.; Saunders, David; Foran, Brendan; Mehta, Apurva

doi:10.1111/jace.13337

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…A significant amount of Zn was found for a turquoise jewel in the hair of the Virgin in the Visitation (0.14 wt% ZnO and 0.86 wt% CuO for point 80; Data ). Zinc content is seldom given in ancient ceramic analyses; a concentration of 0.02‐0.1 wt% ZnO corresponds to an impurity level, and it is often higher for green glazes. This could be due to Cu raw materials (brass) or to the presence, underneath the green, of a Zn‐rich yellow glaze.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technological evolution of ceramic glazes in the renaissance: In situ analysis of tiles in the Alcazar (Seville, Spain)

Viguerie

Robador²,

Castaing

et al. 2018

J Am Ceram Soc

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The Alcazar Palace (Seville, Spain) is famous for its ceramic decorations; 16th century wall tiles of different typologies have been analyzed in order to relate the manufacturing process of their colored glazes to the evolving technologies of the Renaissance. Chemical and mineralogical compositions have been determined in situ by nondestructive X‐ray fluorescence and X‐ray diffraction on arista ceramics in the Cenador de Carlos Quinto, and majolica ceramics in the Palacio Gotico and the Royal oratory. The arista style belongs to the local Hispano‐Moresque ceramic tradition. Majolica tiles have the complex microstructures of glazes from Italy. The two types are clearly differentiated by their typology, morphology (curved vs flat surface), and also microstructure (single vs multi‐layers), glaze chemistry, and use of different coloring agents. Moreover, we found different glaze chemistries in the investigated majolicas, which correspond to different artists and/or practices.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technological evolution of ceramic glazes in the renaissance: In situ analysis of tiles in the Alcazar (Seville, Spain)

Viguerie

Robador²,

Castaing

et al. 2018

J Am Ceram Soc

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“…We have observed elevated levels of Zn in black gloss from a large number of ancient vessels, and, although its source is still under investigation, it appears to relate to the refinement process. [29] Therefore, overall, although the composition of the red and black glossy layers are not exactly identical, the similarly low levels of Ca would impart comparable thermal properties, suggesting that different firing conditions would be necessary to achieve the resulting black over red gloss structure. As shown above (see Fig.…”

Section: Compositional Study Of Black and Underlying Red Glossy Layermentioning

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

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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.

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“…13 Saunders et al (forthcoming) and Maniatis et al (1993) provide a useful summary of past attempts to characterize black gloss. 14 Aloupi-Siotis (2008), Chaviara and Aloupi-Siotis (2016), Cianchetta et al (2015aCianchetta et al ( , 2015b, Gliozzo et al (2004); Kingery (1991); Lühl et al (2014); Maniatis et al (1993); Schreiber (1999); Walton et al (2013aWalton et al ( , 2013bWalton et al ( , 2015. It should be noted that there are some debates among these scholars regarding the chemical characterization and production technologies of ancient Greek ceramics.…”

Section: Chemically Bound Color: the Three-phase Firingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…26 Matthew Hyleck, personal communication, 10/26/2018. Noble also notes this awareness on the part of potters(Noble [1965] 1988, p. 154).27 Contemporary potters assume that one third of a kiln-load is likely to be lost or damaged beyond sale, even in a successful firing.28 For recent scientific and technical studies, see Aloupi-Siotis (2008), Chaviara and Aloupi-Siotis (2016), Cianchetta et al (2015a), Cianchetta et al (2015b), Gliozzo et al (2004), Kingery (1991), Lühl et al (2014), Maniatis et al (1993), Schreiber(1999), andWalton et al (2013aWalton et al ( , 2013bWalton et al ( , 2015. It should be noted that none of our experimentally produced ceramics were subjected to scientific analyses to verify the different iron oxidation states mentioned in the published literature; however, this is an area of future research.29 The optimal temperature to be reached depends on the clay being used.…”

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confidence: 99%

Bringing Back the (Ancient) Bodies: The Potters’ Sensory Experiences and the Firing of Red, Black and Purple Greek Vases

Balachandran

2019

Arts

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The study of Athenian black-figure and red-figure ceramics is haunted by nearly a thousand "hands" of the artisans thought to be responsible for their painted images. But what of the bodies attached to those hands? Who were they? Given the limited archaeological and epigraphic evidence for these ancient makers, this study attempts to recover their physical bodies through the ceramics production process-specifically the firing of vessels-as a communal activity potentially including a large cast of participants including craftsmen and craftswomen, metics, freed people and slaves. Using an experimental archaeology approach, I argue that we can begin to approach the sensory experiences of ancient potters and painters as they produced all the colored surfaces (and not only images) that endure on Greek vases. I propose a four-stage sensory firing in combination with the three-stage chemical firing process known for the production of Athenian ceramics, suggesting that each stage-and the colors produced at each stage-had their own "sensory signatures." Examining extant vases with this awareness of the bodily experience of their ancient makers has the potential to bring back these ancient bodies, moving us beyond the limiting narrative of a single hand wielding a paint brush.which often assumes a single maker with a recognizable "hand." But what of the surfaces of Greek vases as a whole, the shades of red, black and purple that make the images and text legible and the whole bodies of the people who made them?This paper argues that we have not fully considered the surfaces that the ancient Greeks potters and painters made as evidence of these makers' skill and embodied experience. Moving beyond the painted line as the marker of a single craftsman at work, I look to the firing of Greek ceramics as the key moment in the communal production process, one in which all of the work involved in throwing and painting an easily mutable clay object literally crystallized into its durable and indelible final form. The firing was responsible for the production of the range of colors-the reds, oranges, shades of black and brown and also the purples-for which Greek vase painting is renowned. 1 These colors are iron compounds formed under specific temperature and environmental conditions and are chemically reproducible in an experimental archaeology approach. As will be described in this paper, such an approach to the firing of Athenian ceramics offers otherwise unknowable insights into the ancient production process. The firing is an intensely sensory experience, with specific senses heightened at different stages as different colors are being made on the vessels inside the kiln. The colored surfaces of vases therefore have not only a particular chemical, physical and artistic signature but also a "sensory signature." It is by considering these sensory cues that we may approach the bodies of ancient makers at work.As the Hellenistic poem "Kiln" 2 demonstrates, the firing was the stage most fraught with physical danger and the potential f...

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Zn in Athenian Black Gloss Ceramic Slips: A Trace Element Marker for Fabrication Technology

Cited by 19 publications

References 52 publications

Technological evolution of ceramic glazes in the renaissance: In situ analysis of tiles in the Alcazar (Seville, Spain)

Technological evolution of ceramic glazes in the renaissance: In situ analysis of tiles in the Alcazar (Seville, Spain)

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

Bringing Back the (Ancient) Bodies: The Potters’ Sensory Experiences and the Firing of Red, Black and Purple Greek Vases

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