XAS study of a Cu-coloured green glaze from the Tang Dynasty

Polychromatic glazes manufactured during the Tang Dynasty were highly sophisticated and appreciated wares. Several pieces, such as those from the Qionglai kilns, display opaque green areas which are suspected to be coloured by recycling ancient Chinese bronzes. This study focuses on one such piece, which display a green splash on a brownish background. No trace of Sn or Pb has been measured on this sample according to prior analysis, which invalidate the hypothesis of bronze recycling for this piece. The origin of the green opaque coloration is thus still unknown, and will be studied by Cu and Fe K-edge XAS.