Lead Glazes in Antiquity—methods of Production and Reasons for Use*

Tite, M. S.; Freestone, Ian C.; Mason, Roger A.; Molerà, J.; Vendrell‐Saz, M.; Wood, Nigel

doi:10.1111/j.1475-4754.1998.tb00836.x

Cited by 260 publications

(279 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

228

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The subsequent increase in the lead oxide content of the lustre glazes (Mason and Tite, 1997) can then be explained in terms of a desire to reduce the extent of glaze crazing, resulting from the thermal expansion mismatch between high alkali glazes and earthenware bodies (Tite et al, 1998). Further, the addition of lead oxide to the glaze also reduces the diffusivity of copper and silver in the glaze resulting in thinner and more concentrated lustre layers which create the appearance of a metallic golden foil Gutierrez et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the beginnings of tin-opacified Islamic glazes

Tite¹,

Watson²,

Pradell³

et al. 2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tThe generally accepted theory is that the demand for Islamic glazed pottery started in Abbasid Iraq in the 9th century AD with the production of a range of glazed wares in response to the import of Chinese stonewares and porcelains. However, Oliver Watson has recently proposed that the demand for Islamic glazed pottery first occurred in Egypt and Syria in the 8th century AD resulting in the production of opaque yellow decorated wares. Using a combination of SEM analysis of polished cross-sections, and surface analysis using hand-held XRF or PIXE, Coptic Glazed Ware from Egypt, Yellow Glazed Ware from Syria, and comparable wares from Samarra, Kish and Susa have been analysed. The analyses show that the opaque yellow decoration was the result of lead stannate particles in a high lead glaze, which it is suggested was produced using a lead-silica-tin mixture. The use of lead stannate in the production of yellow opaque glazes is explained in terms of technological transfer from contemporary Islamic glassmakers who continued the Byzantine tradition of glassmaking. It is further argued that the introduction of opaque yellow glazed pottery into Mesopotamia could have provided the social context for the sudden emergence of tin-opacified white glazed pottery in Abbasid Iraq in the 9th century AD. However, in view of the very different glaze compositions employed for the yellow and white opaque glazes, it seems probable that the white tin-opacified glazes used for Abbasid cobalt blue and lustre decorated wares represent a separate but parallel technological tradition with its origins in the production of Islamic opaque white glass.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the beginnings of tin-opacified Islamic glazes

Tite¹,

Watson²,

Pradell³

et al. 2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In contrast to these objects, both in the inner and the outer lead-rich blue glaze covering the archaeological artefact from the Buda Castle (fragment of a jug) sodium is the dominant alkali, and together with the detectable chlorine (1-1.5 wt%) indicates that a signifi cant part of the alkali fl ux was common salt. According to the classifi cation elaborated by TITE et al (1998) for historic ceramic glazes based on the dominant fl ux, the studied ceramics are covered with both alkali-lead and lead-alkali glazes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The tin content of the blue-glazed Hutterite and haban ceramics — Implications for the production technology based on results of the handheld XRF and electron microprobe analyses

Bajnóczi

May

Ridovics

et al. 2015

Acta Ethnographica Hungarica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The Hutterites and Habans produced coloured-glazed, mostly blue-and yellow-coloured vessels alongside their white-glazed faience ware. However, the production technology of the coloured-glazed vessels, specifi cally the nature of the glaze, is a matter of debate among scholars. Both coloured tin glaze and coloured engobe covered with a transparent lead glaze were thought to have been applied on the ceramics.Around 140 objects of blue-glazed Hutterite and Haban museum objects and archaeological artefacts were analysed using a handheld XRF spectrometer. In addition, small fragments of selected ceramics were studied by electron microprobe analysis (EMPA).According to the XRF measurements the blue glaze of all except one of the studied Hutterite and Haban ceramics contains tin in variable amounts (from about 0.015 wt% up to 13 wt%). The EMPA technique showed that tin in the form of tin oxide opacifi er was deliberately added to the single-layered alkali-lead or lead-alkali glaze. These data confi rm that the tin glaze technique was used during production of blue-glazed ceramics, and in this respect they can be regarded as faience. The blue glaze of the Haban vessels produced by a "mining town" workshop contains tin in very low concentrations (Sn <0.2 wt% by XRF), therefore the opacity of the glaze is mainly caused by the abundant silica and arsenate particles.

show abstract

“…The opaque white glaze is usually achieved after dipping the bisque ceramic into a soupy suspension made out of sand (e.g., quartz), tin and lead to the ceramic biscuit, and then fired again in the kiln. Lead plays an important role during the glaze maturation since it acts as a flux, decreasing the temperature needed for melting SiO 2 , resulting in a bright and transparent/translucent glaze (Tite et al 1998).…”

Section: Majolica and Spanish Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pb Isotopic Composition of Panamanian Colonial Majolica by LA-ICP-MS

Iñañez

Bellucci

Martín

et al. 2016

Natural Science in Archaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Panamá Viejo, founded in 1519 by the Spanish explorer Pedrarias Dávila, was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Ocean, and became a city, by royal decree, in 1521. Shortly after its creation, the city became an important base for trade with Spain. In 1671, the English pirate Henry Morgan waged an attack on Panamá Viejo, which resulted in a fire that destroyed the entire city. A new settlement built a few miles west, called Casco Antiguo or San Felipe, is now the historic district of modern Panama City. The Pb isotopic compositions of the glazes on the surface of sixteenth to seventeenth century majolica pottery sherds from Panama Viejo and Casco Antiguo (both in Panama), and Lima (Peru) were determined via non-destructive laser ablation multi-collector ICP-MS (LA-MC-ICP-MS). The contrast in Pb isotopic compositions in the glazes on ceramics recovered in different locations demonstrate that early majolica pottery production during this period used Pb obtained from the Andes. However, the Pb used in later majolica production in Panama is of Spanish origin. After Panamá Viejo was burned to the ground, Panamanian majolica production ended.

show abstract

Lead Glazes in Antiquity—methods of Production and Reasons for Use*

Cited by 260 publications

References 11 publications

Revisiting the beginnings of tin-opacified Islamic glazes

Revisiting the beginnings of tin-opacified Islamic glazes

The tin content of the blue-glazed Hutterite and haban ceramics — Implications for the production technology based on results of the handheld XRF and electron microprobe analyses

Pb Isotopic Composition of Panamanian Colonial Majolica by LA-ICP-MS

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About