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The world's first high‐fired glazes were made in China, probably in the 16th century BCE, based largely on siliceous clay and calcareous wood ash. By the Song Dynasty (960–1279), this technology was at its zenith and included blackware glazes that exhibited reddish‐brown single‐phase, micron‐scale ε‐Fe2O3 films on their surfaces. However, it has been difficult to synthesize and replicate this effect on a larger scale and to a higher degree of purity through modern synthetic methods. To fully understand this effect, a strategy that combines nanomaterial science methods and theoretical calculation has been developed to study the hare's fur glazes of Song Dynasty (960–1279) Jian wares. Through our study of the original Song glazes, we show that a high‐alumina clay was used in creating the glaze, which introduced Al into the ε‐Fe2O3 lattices, playing a crucial role in metastable crystal stabilization. The explanation of both Al‐doping from clay, combined with a new understanding of ancient but effective firing manipulation, may provide alternative approaches for materials synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glazed tiles are characteristic architectural ceramics traditionally used in ancient Chinese royal buildings. Studies on their chemical compositions have provided valuable information regarding their compositional classifications and the provenances of their raw materials. Existing studies have mainly focused on the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 AD) or later. Research on earlier ages is limited because of a lack of samples. In this study, we used an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to analyze the chemical compositions of 18 glazed tiles unearthed from an imperial mausoleum (the Xinli site) from the Liao dynasty (969–982 AD). The glazes of the tiles had a SiO2–Al2O3–PbO ternary oxidic system and the bodies of the tiles had a SiO2–Al2O3 binary oxidic system. Certain compositional differences were observed among the samples with different types of decorations. Compared with samples from the Yuan dynasty and later periods, the Xinli samples had higher SiO2 and Al2O3 contents and lower PbO and CuO contents in the tile glazes. The tile bodies of the Xinli samples had compositions similar to those of tile bodies from the Qing dynasty (1616–1912 AD). We speculated that the Xinli samples with different decorations came from different kiln sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastable ε-Fe2O3 was discovered on a ceramic ware of Deqing kiln of the Tang Dynasty, which coexists with α-Fe2O3 in the brown area between adjacent black glaze areas, and it is the earliest known artificially synthesized ε-Fe2O3. Based on the composition analysis of α-Fe2O3, ε-Fe2O3 and the glass phase around them, it is speculated that some Fe3+ ions were replaced by Al3+ ions during the formation of ε-Fe2O3, and a relatively low CaO content may be required for its crystallization. This work may promote researchers' understanding of ε-Fe2O3 crystals, and provide clues for the artificial synthesis of large ε-Fe2O3 crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tie luo (affixed hanging) was an expressive form of traditional Chinese calligraphy or paintings, and popular in the imperial palaces for interior decorations in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 C.E.). A piece of calligraphic tie luo, written by an eminent calligrapher Gu Gao (1763-1832 C.E.), was restored recently in the Palace Museum, Beijing, China. The paper with pigment coating specially made for this calligraphic piece was named as fenjian. This article presented results from materials identification prior to the restoration. Multianalysis with scientific approaches revealed how tie luo was manufactured. It could be concluded that the investigated tie luo used a paper made from bast fibers of mulberry trees. And the decorative ground layer for the piece was also studied, which indicated that a type of organic red pigments were used for the masterpiece. White lead was considered as the main pigment, mixed with a red dye extracted from sappanwood. Meanwhile, animal glue, drying oils and beeswax were confirmed as the organic binding media. In dye analysis, protosappanin B and brazilin as well as brazilein were identified, which implied that sappanwood was used for the organic manufacture of pigments. In addition, both Nowik type A and C were found in the research, which were characteristic of sappanwood for identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]