Prudence , Andrea della Robbia 21.

116 Technical analysis options Sara Levin April 3, 2013 INTRODUCTION Technical studies have been performed on Della Robbia and similar sculptures around the world to shed light on production methods, materials and techniques. At least one published study has included an object from the Metropolitans collection (Madonna and Child, 49.7.62).1 The most widely studied aspect of these works is the composition of the clay and glazes, which has been accomplished with XRF (Parppalardo et al. 2004), SEM/EDS (Hykin 2007 and Zucchiatti et al. 2003), EPMA (Barbour and Olson 2011, and Kingery 1990), Raman spectroscopy (Sendova et al. 2007), ICPAES/ICP-MS and PIXE (Bouquillon 2011 and Zucchiatti et al. 2003). These techniques are discussed below. The compositions of the clay and glaze are important because they indicate how Della Robbia techniques differed from other ceramic techniques at the timerevealing for example that the familys workshop used a higher percentage of calcium oxide in their clay, and higher tin oxide percentages in glazes. This enabled the brilliance of color and opacity so characteristic of their reliefs. Findings also suggest that the Della Robbia workshop used a consistent recipe or type of clay throughout its years of production, which can be a distinguishing characteristic (Barbour 2011). By analyzing the clay and glazes of Prudence, the Metropolitan can add to this growing body of scholarship and compare findings to those of other recent studies. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES Elemental analysis of clay and glazes 1) X-Ray fluorescence (XRF)* is a surface elemental analysis technique that can characterize inorganic materials. It is non-destructive, requiring no samples, and can be a quick and easy, portable method for identifying glaze colorants. 2) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)* creates elemental images of a samples surface based on the interactions between the surface and an incident electron beam. Backscattered electron imaging (BSE) renders a black and white image of the surface of very high magnification, while energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) identifies and locates individual elements in a sample and renders a map of their locations. These techniques can be used to determine the elemental components of the clay and glaze, and their percent compositions. It can also provide a highly magnified image of a glaze and clay cross-sectionto illustrate their structure and morphology. The technique requires sampling. 3) Electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) is similar to SEM/EDS, but contains crystal spectrometers that enable quantitative analysis at a high sensitivity, with wavelengthdispersive spectroscopy (WDS). It has been used in several studies on Della Robbia clay and glazes to determine elemental percent compositions. It is also referred to as electron beam microprobe.

1BarbourandOlson,2011.

*Ibelievethatthesetwotechniques,XRFandSEM/EDS,arethetwomostpracticalandavailable techniquesforPrudence,whichcantellusthemostimportantinformationabouttheobject.Ihave listedtheothertechniquestoillustrateotherkindsofstudiesthatappearinliterature.

4) Inductively coupled plasma with atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) detects elemental compositions by converting atoms in a material into ions with the ICP, and running them through a mass spectrometer (MS) or the atomic emission spectrometer (AES). This is a destructive technique. 5) Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) is a non-destructive technique that determines the elemental composition of a material by reading radiation wavelengths emitting from an object caused by an incident ion beam. 6) Micro-Raman spectroscopy is a form of scattering spectroscopy that characterizes compounds based on their molecular vibrations. Sendova et al. suggested that a particle found with this technique called lead ultramarine or S-3 ions in the blue glaze could be a contributing factor to the color in addition to cobalt. This technique is not quantitative. Dating 7) Thermoluminesence (TL) Dating is a method for determining the age of an object that was heated intensely during formation (ceramics in a kiln) or during a fire in the past. It involves subjecting a sample to intense doses of heat that causes a radiation signal proportional to time after firing. This technique requires a drilled sample from an interior source of the ceramic that has not been exposed to light. Restoration materials 8) Fourier-transform infrared microscopy (FTIR) is used to identify different classes of organic materials. Samples are required. This technique was used recently by the MFA (Hykin 2007) to characterize previous restoration materials such as adhesives and paints. REFERENCES Barbour, D. and R. Olson. 2011. New methods for studying serialization in the workshop of Andrew della Robbia: technical study and analysis. In Della Robbia; dieci anni di studi/dix ans dtudes. Genova: Sagep, 56-61. Hykin, A. 2007. The conservation and technical analysis of a glazed terracotta figure of St. John the Baptist attributed to Giovanni Francesco Rustici. In Riconoscere un patrimonio II. La statua e la sua pelle; Artifici tecnici nella scultura dipinta tra Rinascimento e Baroco. Galatina: Mario Congedo, 81-99. Kingery, W. D. and M. Aronson. 1990. The glazes of Luca della Robbia. Archaeometria 76 no. 5: 2215. Pappalardo, G., E. Costa, C. Marchetta, L. Pappalardo, F.P. Romano, A. Zucchiatti, P. Prato, P.A. Mando, A. Migliori, L. Palombo and M.G. Vaccari. 2004. Non-destructive characterization of della Robbia sculptures at the Bargello Museum in Florence by the combined use of PIXE and XRF portable systems. Journal of Cultural Heritage 5: 183-8. Sendova, M., V. Zhelyaskov, M. Scalera and C. Gulliford. 2007. Micro-Raman spectroscopy characterization of Della Robbia glazes. Archaeometry 49, no. 4: 655-664. Zucchiatti, A., A. Bouquillon, J. Casting and J.R. Gaborit. 2003. Elemental analyses of a group of glazed terracotta angels from the Italian Renaissance, as a tool for the reconstruction of a complex conservation history. Archaeometry 45, no. 3: 391-404.