Study on Ru ware glaze of the Northern Song dynasty: One of the earliest crystalline-phase separated glazes in ancient China

Ru Guan kiln is the most famous imperial kiln in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126 A.D.) of ancient China. In this study, green-glazed porcelain shards excavated from Qingliangsi Ru Guan kiln site in Henan province were adopted as test samples. Based on the physicochemical foundation for crystallization and phase separation of Ru glaze, the correlation among composition, microstructure, firing technique and visual appearance has been investigated by means of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, high temperature microscope, field emission electron microscopy And transmission electron microscopy. For the first time, the study demonstrates that Ru glaze is typical of crystalline phase separated glaze with a dual coloring mechanism. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.