Abstract
Thermoluminescence data, obtained from majolica pottery after irradiation in the laboratory with gamma rays, were studied using the principal components technique to determine if the places of manufacture of this ceramic are differentiated one from another. A total of ten provenances in Holland, Spain and Italy was established by principal components. Six variables were used for the statistical analysis: the three glow-peaks positions, the relative intensity of the second peak to the first peak, the relative intensity of the third peak to the first peak, and the area under the glow curve.The precision for these parameters was about ± 5%, but the precision of the variables for a suite of standards was much higher. In addition, two groups of sherds collected in Latin America, and previously assigned to the provenances of Cataluna and Sevilla (Spain) by artistic criteria, were investigated in this study. All six samples of Cataluna agreed well with their previous assignment of provenance, but several of the samples assigned previously to Sevilla were not related unambiguously to this provenance, although they were with certainty excluded from other provenances.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 26 August 1996 / Revised: 15 November 1996 / Accepted: 29 November 1996
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vaz, J., LaBrecque, J. & Cruxent, J. Determination of the provenance of majolica ceramics from Europe by thermoluminescence employing principal components. Fresenius J Anal Chem 358, 529–532 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160050460
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002160050460