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This paper presents new data from the Husi kiln site, Hubei Province, China, where the unusual size calls into question the primacy of Jingdezhen in porcelain production in medieval China. With its over 180 kilns, the site rivals Jingdezhen in size, yet it has found no mention in textual accounts. The wares produced at Husi include Qingbai and grey-greenish ware of the Tang and the Song periods (seventh to thirteenth century AD). This paper presents compositional data obtained using LA-ICP-MS on samples from five kilns at Husi, comparing them with published data from other kilns. The data set Husi apart, thus allowing for fingerprinting its wares. Based on bulk chemical analysis, the paper furthermore explores the idea that Husi combined elements of southern and northern technologies, thus connecting these two ceramic traditions that previously had been seen as being entirely separate. Some key elements of the early Qingbai ware glaze from Husi resemble wares from Jingdezhen, suggesting a connection between the two sites; however, the glaze recipes for later wares found at Husi differ, indicating that its customer base and marketing strategy changed over time. Furthermore, the iron content of the grey-greenish ware from Husi is extraordinarily high, indicating a unique glaze recipe and production technology independent from Jingdezhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to discuss the exact provenance of the Qingbai wares discovered at Shabian archaeological site in Guangzhou, which had a similar appearance to Jingdezhen Qingbai ware, we analysed both the body and glaze of the Qingbai wares from the Shabian kiln site and those from other related kilns, including Hutian in Jingdezhen, Xicun in Guangzhou and Chaozhou of Guangdong, by using micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (μ‐XRF) and laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS). Based on the analyses, we found that both bodies and glaze of the Qingbai wares in Shabian had the characteristics of a low abundance of rare earth elements (REE), strong negative Eu anomalies, and remarkably low Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios, which was consistent with those from Hutian kiln in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. We also found that the glaze of Qingbai ware from different kilns also had its provenance characteristic in the concentration of the trace elements, and the change of the REE pattern between glaze and its corresponding bodies in Qingbai wares might provide some clue about the types and source of flux. In addition, the lower Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios in both the bodies and glaze of Jingdezhen Qingbai wares were attributed to the chemical characteristics of the local granite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper evaluates the use of portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) on glazes and pastes for sourcing Chinese porcelains from the 12th-13th century Java Sea Shipwreck (JSW) collection at the Field Museum. Three types of qingbai (bluish-white) wares from the JSW collection were chosen for pXRF analysis. Samples from four kiln complexes in China—Jingdezhen, Dehua, Huajiashan, and Minqing, hypothesized to be potential sources of the shipwreck's qingbai ceramics based on visual inspection—were also analyzed to establish reference groups. Results from kiln samples show that different kiln complexes can be clearly differentiated by pXRF analysis of glazes. Based on pXRF analysis of ceramic samples from the JSW , there appear to be four compositional groups, and each group closely matches one of the four kiln reference groups. These findings support the use of pXRF on glazes, especially when pastes are difficult to access, as a method for identifying the potential sources for overseas cargos found distant from production contexts for Chinese porcelains. Highlights • pXRF can discriminate qingbai porcelains from different kiln complexes in China. • pXRF on glazes is effective to source Chinese porcelains. • Java Sea Shipwreckqingbai porcelains came from four different kiln complexes in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the first European to claim that he travelled to China and back, Marco Polo is a celebrated traveller who described the multicultural society of Eurasia in the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries ad. However, his famed account, the Travels of Marco Polo, contains many unsolved mysteries which have generated discussion among historians, while an archaeological approach has been even less convincing because the material that may link to Marco Polo is very rare. A recent re-analysis of Chinese ceramics from a wide geographical area ranging from southern China to the Indian Ocean provides some archaeological support: it suggests that a Chinese porcelain jar housed in the Treasury of San Marco in Venice dates to the era of Marco Polo and is associated with his journey to China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hutian Kiln, located in Jingdezhen City of Jiangxi Province of China, is well-known for the productions of bluish white glazed porcelain (Qingbai) from Song Dynasties (AD 960 – AD 1279) and egg-white glazed porcelain (Luanbai) of Yuan Dynasty (AD 1271 – AD 1368). Luanbai with an opaque glaze is thought to have evolved from Qingbai, which has a transparent glaze; however, the precise technological details for this process have not been adequately studied. This paper presents the analyses of samples of Luanbai and Qingbai porcelains from Hutian Kiln using various microscopic studies, including visible light spectrometry and Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. Some distinct technical changes have been identified that help to explain the evolution from transparent Qingbai to opaque Luanbai glaze. First, there is an increase in the proportion of potassium-rich ingredients in sherds dating to Late Song Dynasty, which suggests a change in the glaze recipe. Second, during Yuan Dynasty, both types of porcelain share the same chemical composition, but Luanbai products display distinct micro-structures and opacity in contrast to the Qingbai ware. Third, the overall firing temperature of Luanbai is around 1270 °C which is generally around 100 °C higher than that of Qingbai. The opacity of Luanbai ware may be the result of different firing techniques, including the higher firing temperature and a correspondingly longer time to heat and to cool the glazed porcelain. The results reveal new insights on the coloring mechanism of the two kinds of glaze and the transition from Qingbai of Song Dynasty to Luanbai of Yuan Dynasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xicun kiln in Guangdong Province was a famous porcelain kiln in the Song Dynasty of China, and for years there has been controversy over the provenance of Xixun Qingbai wares. This paper analyses Qingbai samples from the Xicun, Hutian (Jingdezhen) and Chaozhou (Guangdong Province) kilns by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence probe (EDXRF). The analytical results indicate that wares with a thin body excavated from the Xicun kiln site were produced in the Hutian kiln, and wares with a thick body were locally fired in Xicun; the contents of trace elements (V, Rb, Ba, Ta, Pb and Th) and the Nb/Ta ratio can be used to discriminate the products from the Xicun and Chaozhou kilns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The kilns identification of the Qingbai wares has caught the attention of many archaeological experts. Using ICP-AES method, the major and minor/trace composition of 28 Qingbai wares excavated from different districts were determined. The experimental results show that wares produced in the same location have a great similarity in the content of trance elements; meanwhile the major element K2O, and 12 of all trance elements including Li, Rb, Cs, B, Ti, Hf, V, Sr, Zr, Pb, Nb, Ta, etc., have a remarkable provenance characteristics, which demonstrates a great potential in chemical discrimination of the Qingbai wares from different kilns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]