Non-Invasive On-site Analysis of Coloring Agents, Marks and Enamels of Qing imperial porcelain
Philippe Colomban 1,*, Gulsu Simsek Franci 2
1 MONARIS UMR8233, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France, philippe.colomban@sorbonne-universite.fr
2 Surface Science and Technology Center (KUYTAM), College of Sciences, Rumelifeneri Campus, Koç
 University, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey; gusimsek@ku.edu.tr or gulsu.simsek@gmail.com
 
We present a review of various campaigns in many European museums (Louvre, Paris; Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet, Paris; Cité de la céramique, Sèvres; Baur Fondation, Genève; L’Ariana, Genève) about the on-site pXRF and Raman analyses of porcelains decorated with painted enamels from the Qing Dynasty, in particular porcelains bearing an imperial mark. We aimed to identify the types of enamels/glazes, the ions and coloring phases or opacifiers. The study of the elements associated with cobalt (nickel, manganese, arsenic, etc.) and the impurities of the silicate matrix (yttrium, rubidium and strontium) differentiates the use of 'Chinese/Asian' raw materials from ones imported from Europe by the initiative of the Jesuit missionaries present at the Court (Forbidden City). Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the blue color of the marks and the elements associated with the use of gold or copper nanoparticles, as well as the compositions of the pyrochlore phases (tin yellow, Naples yellow) to differentiate genuine and copied/replicate objects. The comparison is extended to pXRF and Raman microspectroscopy measurements previously made on other Qing imperial porcelains in addition to the Cantonese productions (on porcelain or metal) and blue-and-white wares of the Ming and Yuan Dynasties (archaeological and private collections). The relative efficiency of each technique is discussed.
 
P. COLOMBAN, B. KIRMIZI, G. SIMSEK FRANCI, Cobalt and associated impurities in blue (and green) glass, glaze and enamel: Relationships between raw materials, processing, composition, phases and international trade, Minerals, 2021, 11[6], 633 https://doi.org/10.3390/min11060633
 
P. , The Technology Transfer from Europe to China in the 17th–18th Centuries: Non-Invasive On-Site XRF and Raman Analyses of Chinese Qing Dynasty Enameled Masterpieces Made Using European Ingredients/Recipes, Materials 2021, 14, 7434. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14237434
 
P. COLOMBAN, A.T. NGO, N. FOURNERY, Non-invasive Raman analysis of 18th Century Chinese export/armorial overglazed porcelain: identification of the different enameling techniques, Heritage, 2022, 5[1], 233-259 https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5010013
  
P. COLOMBAN, G. SIMSEK FRANCI, M. GIRONDA, P. d’Abrigeon, A.-C. SCHUMACHER, pXRF Data Evaluation Methodology for On-Site Analysis of Precious Artifacts: Cobalt Used in the Blue Decoration of Qing Dynasty Overglazed Porcelain Enameled at Customs District (Guangzhou), Jingdezhen and Zaobanchu (Beijing) Workshops. Heritage 2022, 5, 1752-1778. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5030091
 
P. COLOMBAN, M. GIRONDA, G. SIMSEK FRANCI, P. d’Abrigeon, Distinguishing Genuine Imperial Qing Dynasty Porcelain from Ancient Replicas by On-site Noninvasive XRF and Raman Spectroscopy. Materials, 2022, 15(16), 5147, https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15165747