A technological combination of lead-glaze and calcium-glaze recently found in China: Scientific comparative analysis of glazed ceramics from Shangyu, Zhejiang Province

To study the relationship between the glazed pottery from southern China and the lead-glazed pottery in northern China in the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), 34 samples unearthed from Shangyu(上虞), Zhejiang Province have been studied by LA-ICP-AES, SEM/EDS and XRD. The results showed that these samples included the typical lead-glazed pottery, the proto-porcelain and the glazed pottery using both lead and calcium as glaze fluxing agents. Previously, the lead-glazed pottery type was considered as the main northern products during the Han dynasty while the calcium-glazed pottery type or the proto-porcelain was the representative of the south of China. However, apart from the two typical types above, a new variety of glaze categorized as the calcium-lead glaze was discovered in the samples from Shangyu. This indicates that there were technology exchanges and amalgamation of lead-glaze and calcium-glaze between the south and the north during the Han Dynasty. As a result, a new type of glazed potteries with both features was created, which had a more beautiful appearance than the proto-porcelain but perhaps had some undesirable aspects. The manufacturing process of the new variety might also lay foundations for the invention of celadon.为研究中国汉代（公元前202年—公元220年）南方釉陶与北方铅釉陶（lead-glazed pottery）之间的技术关联，研究人员采用激光诱导等离子体原子发射光谱（LA-ICP-AES）、扫描电子显微镜能谱分析法（SEM/EDS）及X射线衍射（XRD），对浙江省上虞出土的34件样品进行了分析检测。 分析结果显示，这批样品涵盖典型铅釉陶（lead-glazed pottery）、原始瓷器（proto-porcelain），以及同时以铅与钙作为釉料助熔剂的釉陶。 此前学界普遍认为，汉代铅釉陶主要为北方地区的主流产品，而钙釉陶（calcium-glazed pottery）或原始瓷器则是中国南方的代表性器物。但本次上虞出土的样品中，除上述两类典型器物外，还发现了一种被归类为钙铅釉（calcium-lead glaze）的全新釉陶品类。 这一发现证实，汉代时期南北方之间存在铅釉技术与钙釉技术的交流与融合，由此催生了兼具两类釉陶特性的新型釉陶：其外观较原始瓷器更为精美，但或许也存在部分性能缺陷。该新型釉陶的制作工艺，或为后世青瓷（celadon）的发明奠定了重要技术基础。