Characterization of the glaze and in-glaze pigments of the nineteenth-century relief tiles from the Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal

TitleCharacterization of the glaze and in-glaze pigments of the nineteenth-century relief tiles from the Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
Authorsb c Coutinho ML a, Veiga JP d, Alves LC e, Mirão J f, Dias L f, c Lima AM b, Muralha VS c, c Macedo MF b
JournalApplied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing
Volume122
ISSN09478396
KeywordsAnalytical approach, Buildings, Ceramic pigment, Chemical compositions, Cobalt, Cobalt compounds, Complex mixture, Different proportions, Glazes, Iron oxides, Manganese, Manganese oxide, Manufacture, Manufacturing techniques, Micro-structural characterization, Mixtures, Oxides, Pigments, Production techniques, Tin
Abstract

The glaze and in-glaze pigments of the historical nineteenth-century glazed tiles from the Pena National Palace (Sintra, Portugal) were characterized using a multi-analytical approach. Chemical composition and microstructural characterization were ascertained by µ-PIXE, µ-Raman, optical microscopy and VP-SEM–EDS. The manufacturing technique and colour palette in these tiles were found to be close to the ceramic pigments used in traditional majolica. The blue and purple colours derive from cobalt oxide and manganese oxide, respectively. A mixture of Pb–Sn–Sb yellow with cobalt oxide and iron oxide was used for green and dark yellow, respectively, while grey tonalities consist of a complex mixture of cobalt oxide, manganese oxide and Pb–Sn–Sb yellow in different proportions. Results obtained allowed the determination of the oxides and elements used in pigments as well as production techniques, resorting to traditional majolica manufacture, although the tiles were produced by the end of the nineteenth century. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84976285883&doi=10.1007%2fs00339-016-0214-5&partnerID=40&md5=79e426beb08fa88b4f8c9cae9db8b9ee
DOI10.1007/s00339-016-0214-5