Egyptian Faience Inlay Techniques: a process for obtaining detail and clarity by refiring

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe faience of the New Kingdom period is frequently decorated with an expanded palette of red, black, and yellow. This polychrome decoration was often accomplished by inlaying one color of paste into another. The aesthetic success of these inlay techniques reveals a fundamental understanding of the materials' characteristics before, during, and after firing, and knowledge of how to manipulate these characteristics. The goal of this research is to more fully understand ancient Egyptian faience inlay techniques by characterizing the properties of a set of standard reproductions. As the most aesthetically successful reproductions were obtained using pre-fired components, a series of experiments was performed to quantify changes in glaze color, glaze gloss, and depth of glaze penetration upon refiring. Data was gathered from replicated samples and cross-sections using SEM, UV-VIS spectrophotometry, colorimetry, and optical microscopy. Visual comparisons were made between cross-sections of replicated inlays and examples of broken ancient Egyptian faience inlays.