Browsing by Author "Braekmans, Dennis"
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Item Open Access The composition and technology of polychrome enamels on Chinese ruby‐backed plates identified through nondestructive micro‐X‐ray fluorescence(Wiley, 2020-03-12) Norris, Dana; Braekmans, Dennis; Domoney, Kelly; Shortland, Andrew J.This research presents non‐destructive analyses of Chinese enamelled copper and porcelain decorated with polychrome enamels. This study utilises two key, high‐value art works with complex enamelling in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK) to elucidate the composition and technology of objects with ruby‐backed decoration. These plates date from early Qing dynasty and are associated with the Yongzheng (1723–1735) and early Qianlong (1735–1796) periods. The goal of this research is to investigate the hypothesis that ruby‐backed plates in these two mediums are decorated with the same enamels and possibly manufactured in mutual enamelling workshops, which is a current topic of debate among scholars. Ten different enamel colours and the gilding on each plate were analysed and evaluated with micro‐X‐ray fluorescence to study the opacifiers and pigments. The results show that the enamels on these two works utilise the same opacifier and the consistent pigments in the white, ruby, pink, green, yellow, turquoise green, and blue enamels. Compositional differences were identified in the underdrawings, purple enamels, and gilding. The results demonstrate that Chinese painted enamels and overglazes on porcelain share mutual technology in most, but not all, of the polychrome decoration, which impacts upon our knowledge of technological organisation in the manufacture of these objects. Micro‐X‐ray fluorescence has been shown to be an effective and robust technique for the nondestructive study of decorative surfaces in these two material types.Item Open Access Emulation and technological adaptation in late 18th century Cloisonné-style Chinese painted enamels(Wiley, 2022-01-23) Norris, Dana; Braekmans, Dennis; Shortland, Andrew J.Cloisonné-style motifs are rare and enigmatic in Chinese painted enamels because of their distinct technological development at the end of the 18th century. Five late Qianlong to Jiaqing period (1736–1820) Chinese painted enamels with cloisonné-style motifs are investigated using environmental scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Back-scattered electron images and elemental analysis are combined to study the decorative enamelled surface. The compositions of the layers within the enamel, that of the counter enamel and the polychrome decoration on the surface are determined and identified. Fluorine and elevated amounts of calcium were detected, indicating that fluorite was likely used as a raw material. The presence of this mineral, which is typical of Chinese cloisonné, confirms that these objects share both aesthetic and technological relationships.Item Open Access Forensic exploration of the mechanical properties of basalt grains in earthenware(Equinox Publishing, 2019-05-16) Braekmans, Dennis; Broekman, Max J. G. M.; Grashof, Bernd G.; Oudshoorn, Max P. J.; Uittenbroek, Lennard H.; Jacobs, Loe F. H. C.The overall goal of this project is to contribute to reconstruct the innovation mechanisms and development of ceramic production using forensic engineering techniques. Instead of optimizing materials as a driver in modern engineering, here we wish to use these methodologies, but aim to solve questions on advancement in the past fabrication process – and thus ultimately understand the key issues of a less or (un)successful design and subsequent improvement. This paper wishes to address the advantages and constraints regarding to use of basalt in ceramic matrices. By utilizing a standardized set of different test bars comprising different amounts of basalt fired at both 800°C and 1000°C, it can be concluded basalt tempered ceramics have a higher fracture toughness when compared to quartz enriched materials. It is there plausible to identify basalt as a good temper material for (ancient) earthenwares in terms of thermal (shock) activitiesItem Open Access Geochemical and petrographic assessment of clay outcrops and archaeological ceramics from the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas (cal 400–1250 CE), central Nicaragua(Elsevier, 2020-03-12) Casale, Simone; Donner, Natalia; Braekmans, Dennis; Geurds, AlexanderThis research characterizes and reconstructs clay procurement and production practices through the integration of in-situ portable XRF and petrographic analysis on ancient ceramics and clay materials recovered from the Mayales river subbasin (central Nicaragua). A particular choice for this study was the largest and arguably most significant archaeological site in the area, Aguas Buenas (cal 400–1250 CE), a pre-Hispanic indigenous agglomeration consisting of 371 human-made mounds of various shapes arranged in geometric patterns. Microanalytical approaches were applied to reconstruct the use of raw mineral resources in the production of ubiquitous pottery materials found at this site and in its immediate surroundings. The resulting compositional analysis produced geochemical and mineralogical data allowing for the characterisation of distinct, geologically-based compositional groups throughout the valley, improving on the limited geological data resolution previously available. The integrated microscopic and compositional analysis (through p-XRF) of archaeological pottery materials and raw clay samples, generates a number of hypotheses and insights about the nature of the Aguas Buenas site, and its role as a shared space amongst groups living in the Mayales river Subbasin. Additionally, this study provides a solid research framework of investigation that can be employed for more detailed and extensive future studies on pre-Hispanic human occupation in this research area or elsewhere.Item Open Access Late Achaemenid and Early Hellenistic Pisidian Material Culture from Düzen Tepe (SW Anatolia)(University of Leuven, 2017-05-01) Daems, D; Braekmans, Dennis; Poblome, JThe continued importance of pottery studies for the development of the archaeological discipline can hardly be overstated. In this paper we discuss the pottery found at the settlement at Düzen Tepe (SW Anatolia), following the template of the well-established typological and fabric identification practices developed by the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project for the Sagalassos Red Slip Ware production from Roman imperial times. A newly devised typology of the late Achaemenid to early Hellenistic (5th to 2nd centuries BCE) material of Düzen Tepe is presented. Comparisons with parallels in pottery material indicate that this material was firmly embedded in a (southwestern) Anatolian framework, generally matching a chronological window from the fourth to third centuries BCE.Item Open Access Pre-Hispanic and contemporary raw materials use in earthenware production in the Río Mayales subbasin, Chontales, central Nicaragua(Sidestone Press, 2020-03-20) Casale, Simone; Donner, Natalia R.; Braekmans, Dennis; Geurds, AlexanderThis volume is themed around the interdependent relationship between humans and the environment, an important topic in the work of Corrie Bakels. How do environmental constraints and opportunities influence human behaviour and what is the human impact on the ecology and appearance of the landscape? And what can archaeological knowledge contribute to the current discussions about the use, arrangement and depletion of our (local) environment?Item Open Access The production and composition of Chinese lead-barium glass through experimental laboratory replication(Elsevier, 2020-10-03) Ma, Qian; Braekmans, Dennis; Shortland, Andrew J.; Pollard, A. MarkLead-barium glass appeared during the late Warring States period in China (457 - 221 BCE) and was considered as a Chinese invention due to the unique presence of high barium. There is no indication as to how it was made. A set of twenty-four different combinations of possible raw materials were melted to test and systematically evaluate the possible recipes for lead-barium glass. Specifically, the function and source of sodium in lead-barium glass were explored. The results show that sodium source is crucial for lead-barium glass forming in this particular system. This paper explores an alternative formulation since sodium flux is not reported in historical Chinese sources, in which the Na2O is provided by including soda-lime glass in the mixture. This particular formulation provides a potential explanation for the source of the sodium in lead-barium glassItem Open Access Studying vessel biographies from the Heuneburg: an experimental approach(Sidestone Press, 2019-03-01) van Gijn, Annelou; Jacobs, Loe; Groat, Nicholas; Koning, Nicole; Braekmans, Dennis; Verbaas, AnnemiekeIn the context of the BEFIM project (“Meanings and Functions of Mediterranean Imports in Early Iron Age Central Europe”) the life history of (drinking) vessels from the Early Celtic hillfort settlements of the Heuneburg was examined, studying the way of production and use. In order to do so, we set up an extensive experimental program of dozens of experiments directed at a better understanding of the way this pottery was made and used. The participation of an experienced potter allowed us to reproduce exact replicas of the supposed drinking ware and explore in detail the traces of production and the effect of temper, baking temperature and so forth on the development of production traces and wear. Especially variations in the temper material, like the frequently observed addition of calcite in the archaeological pottery, strongly affected the characteristics of the use-wear marks that developed from the preparation of different products (grape wine, honey wine, different kinds of porridge etc.). The influence of alcohol production, including fermentation, on the pottery was explored. We also tested the effect of different gestures of preparing food and drink (mixing, stirring, pounding), different ways of storage and handling, and the manner of consumption like decanting using various kinds of utensils. The traces we observed on the experimental vessels, using an integrated low and high power approach, formed the basis for our interpretation of the archaeological vessels from the Heuneburg.Item Open Access Tracing the provenance of unfired ancient Egyptian clay figurines from Saqqara through non-destructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry(Elsevier, 2018-12-19) Braekmans, Dennis; Boschloos, Vanessa; Hameeuw, Hendrik; Van der Perre, AthenaA collection of Prime Cultural Heritage artefacts consisting of Egyptian late Middle Kingdom figurines (c. 1850–1700 BCE), made of unfired clay and covered in inscriptions, is kept at the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH) in Brussels, Belgium. Several of these hieratic inscriptions curse enemies of the Egyptian state, including Canaanite, Nubian and Libyan entities; thus providing invaluable information for Middle Bronze topography in ancient Near Eastern studies. What makes the extensive Brussels group even more exceptional, is the fact that these figurines were discovered in a closed archaeological context in Saqqara, Lower Egypt. Defining and classifying clay and ancient ceramic provenance groups in Egypt is highly complex due to variability in Nile and marl clay deposits. Chemical characterization of this figurine assemblage (n = 91) allows to effectively study the potential direct use of clays in the vicinity of Saqqara and characterize the nature of the raw materials used. Additionally, it aims to assess the validity of portable XRF spectrometry for this type of materials and its provenance resolution. Analyses show that very similar clays were used to produce the different morphological types of figurines in the assemblage. The chemical profile indicates the use of a mixed source at Saqqara rather than pure marl or Nile clays, which are common for ancient pottery production.Item Open Access Transatlantic connections in colonial and post-colonial Haiti: archaeometric evidence for taches noires glazed tableware imported from Albissola, Italy to Fort Liberté, Haiti.(Springer Verlag, 2020-10-01) Casale, Simone; Jean, Joseph S.; Capelli, Claudio; Braekmans, Dennis; Degryse, Patrick; Hofman, CorinneThis paper presents the first archaeometrical data on colonial glazed wares (taches noires) imported in Haiti (Fort Liberté). The analysis evidenced the exclusive presence of Italian taches noires products, dated before 1820 and related to the colonial era. The presence of English wares next to colonial materials demonstrated continuity in the use of landscape after the Independence and the establishment of international trade relationships between the state of Haiti and the British Empire. Results are an important step forward in the understanding of production and movement of the Taches noires ware, which were exported globally between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries