Trace Exchanges By On-Site Contactless Identification of Colouring Agents of Enamelled Objects. Some Examples

The production of enamelled decorations on metal, glass or ceramic has long been one of the most sophisticated technical creations and such decorations have long been produced only for princely elites. the development over nearly 20 years of scientific instrumentation, in particular of sources, detectors and computers, has led to the miniaturization and portability of devices such as raman and x-ray fluorescence spectrometers capable of non-invasively identifying the constituents of matter (coloured), chemical elements in small quantities but also the phases present, crystalline or amorphous. it is thus possible to detect technological innovations, the use of particular ingredients and to trace their diffusion temporally and geographically. we will illustrate this research with a few examples obtained by studying large collections of enamelled objects: i) use of lapis lazuli as a blue dye in competition with or in association with cobalt from the lagides (ptolemy) until the 18th century. by the norman court and the mameluks; ii) opacification with cassiterite from roman glassmakers to chinese qing enamellers in competition with other opacifiers (phosphates, arsenates, fluorite, etc.), in particular the advantages of the natural association of arsenic in european cobalts to give them an exceptional colour range; iii) red colouring by gold or copper nanoparticles, yellow by silver nanoparticles from romain glassmakers and competition from cds1-xsex semiconductor nanoparticles since 19th century; and iv) the development of the use of lead salts with a pyrochlore structure (naples yellow”) from antiquity to modern times as a marker of trade. particular attention will be paid to the contribution of the jesuits in the dissemination of european enamelling technologies in china and japan in the 17th century and to the return of the influence of asian ceramics 19th century onwards, in its extreme components, chinese song purity and wabi-sabi japanese raku. due to the use of ceramic pigments as an ingredient in oil painting since the renaissance, the development of enamelling techniques has determined all artistic productions.

Trace exchanges by on-site contactless identification of colouring agents of enamelled objects. Some examples

The production of enamelled decorations on metal, glass or ceramic has long been one of the most sophisticated technical creations and such decorations have long been produced only for princely elites. The development over nearly 20 years of scientific instrumentation, in particular of sources, detectors and computers, has led to the miniaturization and portability of devices such as Raman and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers capable of non-invasively identifying the constituents of matter (coloured), chemical elements in small quantities but also the phases present, crystalline or amorphous. It is thus possible to detect technological innovations, the use of particular ingredients and to trace their diffusion temporally and geographically. We will illustrate this research with a few examples obtained by studying large collections of enamelled objects: i) use of lapis lazuli as a blue dye in competition with or in association with cobalt from the Lagides (Ptolemy) until the 18th century. by the Norman court and the Mameluks; ii) opacification with cassiterite from Roman glassmakers to Chinese Qing enamellers in competition with other opacifiers (phosphates, arsenates, fluorite, etc.), in particular the advantages of the natural association of arsenic in European cobalts to give them an exceptional colour range; iii) red colouring by gold or copper nanoparticles, yellow by silver nanoparticles from Romain glassmakers and competition from CdS1-xSex semiconductor nanoparticles since 19th century; and iv) the development of the use of lead salts with a pyrochlore structure (Naples yellow”) from Antiquity to modern times as a marker of trade. Particular attention will be paid to the contribution of the Jesuits in the dissemination of European enamelling technologies in China and Japan in the 17th century and to the return of the influence of Asian ceramics 19th century onwards, in its extreme components, Chinese Song purity and wabi-sabi Japanese raku. Due to the use of ceramic pigments as an ingredient in oil painting since the Renaissance, the development of enamelling techniques has determined all artistic productions.