Emulation and technological adaptation in late 18th-century cloisonne-style Chinese painted enamels

Cloisonne-style motifs are rare and enigmatic in Chinese painted enamels because of their distinct technological development at the end of the 18th century. Five late Qianlong to Jiaqing period (1736-1820) Chinese painted enamels with cloisonne-style motifs are investigated using environmental scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Back-scattered electron images and elemental analysis are combined to study the decorative enamelled surface. The compositions of the layers within the enamel, that of the counter enamel and the polychrome decoration on the surface are determined and identified. Fluorine and elevated amounts of calcium were detected, indicating that fluorite was likely used as a raw material. The presence of this mineral, which is typical of Chinese cloisonne, confirms that these objects share both aesthetic and technological relationships.Material Culture Studie

The introduction of Corded Ware Culture at a local level: an exploratory study of cultural change during the Late Neolithic of the Dutch West Coast through ceramic technology

The introduction of the Corded Ware Culture (3000–2500 BCE) is considered a formative event in Europe's past. Ancient DNA analyses demonstrate that migrations played a crucial role in this event. However, these analyses approach the issue at a supra-regional scale, leaving questions about the regional and local impact of this event unresolved. This study pilots an approach to ceramics that brings this small-scale impact into focus by using the transmission of ceramic technology as a proxy for social change. It draws on ethno-archaeological studies of the effects of social changes on the transmission of ceramic production techniques to hypothesise the impact of three idealised scenarios that archaeologists have proposed for the introduction of Corded Ware Culture: migration, diffusion, and network interactions. Subsequently, it verifies these hypotheses by integrating geochemical (WDXRF), mineralogical (petrography), and macromorphological analysis of ceramics with network analysis. This method is applied to 30 Late Neolithic ceramic vessels from three sites in the western coastal area of the Netherlands (Hazerswoude-Rijndijk N11, Zandwerven, and Voorschoten-De Donk). This study concludes that the introduction of Corded Ware material culture is a process that varies from site to site in the western coastal area of the Netherlands. Moreover, the introduction of the Corded Ware Culture is characterised by continuity in technological traditions throughout the study area, indicating a degree of social continuity despite typological changes in ceramics

Reconstructing Regional Trajectories: the Provenance and Distribution of Archaic to Hellenistic Ceramics in Central Pisidia (South-west Turkey)

Material Culture Studie

Investigating migration and mobility in the Early Roman frontier: The case of the Batavi in the Dutch Rhine delta (c. 50/30 BC–AD 40)

The study of migration is essential for understanding the earliest phases of the Roman period in the Lower Rhine delta. This paper applies an integrated and interdisciplinary approach, combining and comparing historical, archaeological and science-based evidence and methodologies, allowing a more detailed reconstruction of immigration during this period. Our study suggests that various groups migrated to our region, probably over a longer period of time, originating from different regions and arriving in a land with a (probably limited) residual population. This marked and varied immigration should be understood in the context of Roman frontier policy and the (ethnic) recruitment of Germanic groups by the Roman military.Material Culture Studie

The composition and technology of polychrome enamels on Chinese ruby‐backed plates identified through nondestructive micro‐X‐ray fluorescence

This research presents non‐destructive analyses of Chinese enamelled copper and porcelain decorated with polychrome enamels. This study utilises two key, high‐value art works with complex enamelling in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK) to elucidate the composition and technology of objects with ruby‐backed decoration. These plates date from early Qing dynasty and are associated with the Yongzheng (1723–1735) and early Qianlong (1735–1796) periods. The goal of this research is to investigate the hypothesis that ruby‐backed plates in these two mediums are decorated with the same enamels and possibly manufactured in mutual enamelling workshops, which is a current topic of debate among scholars. Ten different enamel colours and the gilding on each plate were analysed and evaluated with micro‐X‐ray fluorescence to study the opacifiers and pigments. The results show that the enamels on these two works utilise the same opacifier and the consistent pigments in the white, ruby, pink, green, yellow, turquoise green, and blue enamels. Compositional differences were identified in the underdrawings, purple enamels, and gilding. The results demonstrate that Chinese painted enamels and overglazes on porcelain share mutual technology in most, but not all, of the polychrome decoration, which impacts upon our knowledge of technological organisation in the manufacture of these objects. Micro‐X‐ray fluorescence has been shown to be an effective and robust technique for the nondestructive study of decorative surfaces in these two material types

Technological connections in the development of 18th and 19th century Chinese painted enamels

Chinese painted enamel is an artistic tradition of enamelled copperwares developed during the Kangxi period (1662-1722), commonly referred to as Canton enamel after the Wade-Giles spelling of Guangzhou. In this study, enamel fragments from areas of damage in the decorated surface of ten Chinese painted enamel objects dating to the 18th and early 19th century in the collections of the Ashmolean and Fitzwilliam Museums were nondestructively analysed with ESEM-EDX (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive XRay Spectroscopy). After analysis, the enamel fragments were reattached to the objects using a conservation grade adhesive. Quantitative EDX elemental analysis is presented for the white enamel, underdrawings, eight painted enamel colours, outlines, and gilding. The enamel-glass composition, opacifier and colourants are discussed and compared to ceramic, glass, and enamelled metal technologies in use during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).The results show that Chinese painted enamels combine Chinese and European technology to create a new and distinct art form

A comparison of two Chinese ruby backed plates with micro-X-ray fluorescence

The following paper is based on the non-destructive analysis of a Chinese porcelain plate decorated with overglaze enamels, and a Chinese enamelled copper plate decorated with painted enamels in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Both objects date from early Qing dynasty, and are associated with the Yongzheng (1723-1735) and early Qianlong (1735-1796) periods. These objects have been used in the past by art historians to demonstrate the relationship between the two artistic traditions because of the similarity in their decoration. The aim of this research is to test the hypothesis put forward by these scholars through scientific analysis of the enamel compositions. Ten enamel colours and the gilding on each plate were analysed with micro-X-Ray fluorescence. The results reveal distinct parallels between the enamels used to decorate the two objects, while also distinguishing them from other enamelling traditions

Mardellen

Mardellen zijn depressies van 1-3 meter diep en 10-50 meter doorsnee. Ze komen voor in het Luxemburgse Gutland. Op de kleiige mardelbodems hebben zich vennen gevormd die in het voorjaar vol water staan en aan het einde van de zomer droogvallen. Amsterdamse fysisch geografen deden vijftig jaar geleden al onderzoek naar het ontstaan ervan. Geavanceerde archeometrische technieken werpen een nieuw licht op de zaak

Late Achaemenid and Early Hellenistic Pisidian Material Culture from Düzen Tepe (SW Anatolia)

The continued importance of pottery studies for the development of the archaeological discipline can hardly be overstated. In this paper we discuss the pottery found at the settlement at Düzen Tepe (SW Anatolia), following the template of the well-established typological and fabric identification practices developed by the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project for the Sagalassos Red Slip Ware production from Roman imperial times. A newly devised typology of the late Achaemenid to early Hellenistic (5th to 2nd centuries BCE) material of Düzen Tepe is presented. Comparisons with parallels in pottery material indicate that this material was firmly embedded in a (southwestern) Anatolian framework, generally matching a chronological window from the fourth to third centuries BCE

Danger! High Voltage! The application of handheld X-ray fluorescence (HH-XRF) to experimental glass, pitfalls and potentials

Handheld X-ray Fluorescence (HH-XRF) is growing in terms of its popularity for use in archaeological studies. It has been regularly used for studying soils, obsidians and metals, but the extent to which it can be applied to other, more heterogeneous archaeological materials, for example, glass and ceramics, is still under debate. Some of the concerns which need to be addressed include: how reliable are the studies that are undertaken using this technique? And, to what extent is a trained ‘expert’ needed to conduct and interpret the analysis? The influence of the size, shape and thickness of an object on the obtained analytical data can pose some significant problems. The appropriate instrumental parameters of the HH-XRF including analysis time, current and voltage settings vary between objects and material types. The attenuation properties and resultant critical depths also vary and require some knowledge of the system before analysis. These issues all have an impact on the qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative analyses that can be achieved with the use of this technique. HH-XRF has huge potential for in-situ archaeometrical analyses, but the potential pitfalls for the unwary user can be many and great. This paper seeks to highlight some of the dangers associated with a ‘point and shoot’ technique by taking one material, an experimental glass, and determining the minimum basic parameters needed for a useful analysis