Provenance Study and Identification of Authenticity of Tang Sancai by NAA

Tang Sancai is a general name for the color-glazed pottery produced in Tang Dynasty (618∼960AD) in China. It was firstly excavated at Luoyang City in 1899. Four kiln-ruins making Tang Sancai have been discovered. The provenance of Tang Sancai excavated in some ruins and mausoleums could not be differentiated, because the appearances of some wares of various kilns are very similar. In addition, it is difficult to identify the mimics with traditional method. The provenance study of Tang Sancai is a critical step in studying the history and development of it. In order to grouping the Tang Sancai, whose provenance is unknown, to distinctive kilns according to their chemical compositions, the major and trace elements of Tang Sancai samples excavated in different kilns and mausoleums will be determined by nuclear analytical techniques. Two hundred and three Tang Sancai sherd samples excavated from four kiln ruins have been collected, 94 from twelve mausoleums, 30 from two ruins, 69 modern mimics from three modern factory and two cultural relic markets. The chemical composition of Tang Sancai body specimens has been determined by neutron activation analysis (NAA). The body and glaze of some samples were non-destructive analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results indicated the compositional differences of the studied Sancai. The characteristics of the trace elements were identified by statistical methods and the results could be used as database for the identification of unknown Tang Sancai in future. Most of Tang Sancai from different Kiln-ruins proved to be chemically separable. Tang Sancai excavated from mausoleums is able to be identified. The provenance of Tang Sancai excavated from city ruins can be confirmed. Modern mimic of it can be distinguished with the data of different kiln's Tang Sancai. (author)