Italian maiolica is one of the most representative vestiges of Medieval and Renaissance art, society and economy. The production technique was born in the Near East in the 8th century and spread rapidly in the Islamic world reaching the Iberian Peninsula in the 10th century. It is known that commercial trades between Spain and the Republic of Pisa played a fundamental role in the diffusion of these artifacts in the Tuscany region (Berti & Giorgio, 2010), allowing the development of large production centres such as Pisa itself in the 13th century and subsequently Montelupo Fiorentino in the 14th century. The purpose of this project is to broaden the knowledge of maiolica production techniques and their evolution over the centuries through the comparison of important productions, such as that of Andalusian Spain, Pisa and Montelupo Fiorentino which were active over a large period of time between the 10th and 18th centuries. Furthermore, the origin of the raw materials used to produce the tin glazes typical of maiolica will also be investigated. Specifically, the origin of the lead, used as a flux in the production of the glazes (Piccolpasso, 1879), will be studied through the application of lead isotope geochemistry. Indeed, lead is a very common metal and easily available locally; however, previous studies have highlighted the existence of large-scale trade of this raw material (Chiarantini et al., 2015; Paghi, 2022). The compositional investigation of the samples will be carried out by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS), while the isotopic analysis will be performed with mass spectrometry techniques such as TIMS and MC-ICP-MS. This research, which is in its initial phase, represents an important opportunity to reconstruct the cultural and commercial exchanges of raw materials, artifacts and craftsmen in the Central European and circum- Mediterranean area, which have allowed the birth and development of numerous centres of maiolica production in Italy. Due to their long production history, their figurative evolution in line with foreign cultural influences and the need to procure raw materials (lead and tin) that are not easily available locally, Italian maiolica well represents the complexity of Medieval and Renaissance society. The wealth of information which could be provided by the study of maiolica is still largely unexplored.
On the origin of Italian maiolica: a compositional and lead isotopic study of maiolica glazes / Paghi D., Manca R., Casalini M., Benvenuti M.. - ELETTRONICO. - (2023), pp. 147-147. (Intervento presentato al convegno The Geoscience paradigm: resources, risk and future perspective tenutosi a Potenza nel 19-21 settembre 2023).
On the origin of Italian maiolica: a compositional and lead isotopic study of maiolica glazes
Paghi D.;Manca R.;Casalini M.;Benvenuti M.
2023
Abstract
Italian maiolica is one of the most representative vestiges of Medieval and Renaissance art, society and economy. The production technique was born in the Near East in the 8th century and spread rapidly in the Islamic world reaching the Iberian Peninsula in the 10th century. It is known that commercial trades between Spain and the Republic of Pisa played a fundamental role in the diffusion of these artifacts in the Tuscany region (Berti & Giorgio, 2010), allowing the development of large production centres such as Pisa itself in the 13th century and subsequently Montelupo Fiorentino in the 14th century. The purpose of this project is to broaden the knowledge of maiolica production techniques and their evolution over the centuries through the comparison of important productions, such as that of Andalusian Spain, Pisa and Montelupo Fiorentino which were active over a large period of time between the 10th and 18th centuries. Furthermore, the origin of the raw materials used to produce the tin glazes typical of maiolica will also be investigated. Specifically, the origin of the lead, used as a flux in the production of the glazes (Piccolpasso, 1879), will be studied through the application of lead isotope geochemistry. Indeed, lead is a very common metal and easily available locally; however, previous studies have highlighted the existence of large-scale trade of this raw material (Chiarantini et al., 2015; Paghi, 2022). The compositional investigation of the samples will be carried out by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS), while the isotopic analysis will be performed with mass spectrometry techniques such as TIMS and MC-ICP-MS. This research, which is in its initial phase, represents an important opportunity to reconstruct the cultural and commercial exchanges of raw materials, artifacts and craftsmen in the Central European and circum- Mediterranean area, which have allowed the birth and development of numerous centres of maiolica production in Italy. Due to their long production history, their figurative evolution in line with foreign cultural influences and the need to procure raw materials (lead and tin) that are not easily available locally, Italian maiolica well represents the complexity of Medieval and Renaissance society. The wealth of information which could be provided by the study of maiolica is still largely unexplored.
I documenti in FLORE sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
