I agree with Rob that stylistic analysis is the way to go, especially in 19th c. contexts. Those makers marks on the back are pretty darned helpful too. However, since the original query was about glazes the question remains: How do glazes change, and has anyone looked at that specifically? Can the transition from lead-based glazes to more modern glaze compositions be tracked easily? With specific introduction dates wouldn't some glazes be easily detected with chemical analysis? So with a collection of temporally ambiguous plain wares a presence / absence test for a specific element might be useful in dating an assemblage, at least at the TPQ level. I agree however, that doing such analysis would be a last ditch effort, since glass and other artifacts from the post lead glaze days are much more temporally sensitive. Still, inquiring minds just want to know sometimes....


Carl Steen


 


-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Hunter <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tue, 4 Nov 2008 9:25 am
Subject: Re: cream-pearl and whiteware










Thank you Mary for supplying the information about George's and my article on 
China glaze.   I would add that your term “overkill” is a very polite way 
for questioning the value of a material science approach to 
production/identification issues of British refined earthenwares.   Without 
clear temporal or 
geographic questions to be answered, I would advocate stylistic analysis to sort 

out any assemblage of the 1780-1860 period. For most people who are unfamiliar 
with historical ceramics, it is often much more comforting to have a bunch of 
numbers on a page or tables and charts than to rely upon visual analysis. We 
know so much about the British manufacturers and their products, it is hard to 
fathom how some sort of elemental analysis would contribute any new 
information for sorting out chronologyc.   If I had very specific questions 
already in 
mind i.e. How did Clews paste formula differ from Rogers in the 1825 to 1830 
period, then of course I would not hesitate to use compositional analysis.   But 

starting out inductively seems like a waste of time and money.

A good article in the upcoming 2008 Ceramics in America by Neil Ewins “
Comparative studies in Anglo-American ceramic demand” will provide a case study 
of 
the world-wide distribution of a single factory- Cork and Edge of Burslem, 
known later as Cork, Edge and Malkin between 1848 and 1863.   This issue will be 

available mid-November.



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