Archaeometry of medieval Islamic glazed ceramics from North Yemen

Microscopic examination and electron microprobe analysis were employed to determine the materials and techniques used to decorate ten glazed types of medieval Islamic ceramics from North Yemen. Eight types were underglaze-painted, one was slip-painted, and one was monochrome glazed. The glazes were of two compositions, soda–silica and lead oxide – silica with annealing temperatures of approximately 835 and 640 °C, respectively. The colourants used in the glazes and paints were cobalt (blue), iron (green), copper (green and blue), and antimony (yellow). Where clay slips or slip-paints were present, alumina enrichment of the glaze had occurred during application or firing, and pigment-paints on top of slip grounds masked enrichment. The Mellor ratio for the lead glazes ranges from 0.68 to 0.74 and is well above the acceptable safety limit of 0.5.