Application of smalt in building glazed tiles from Yuanmingyuan Park, Beijing’ in Qing dynasty

The building glazed tiles in ancient China are well known for their rich colors. Blue-glazed objects are especially valued for their rarity. However, little research has been conducted on them. In this study, we observed, tested, and analyzed nine blue building glazed tiles excavated at the archaeological sites at Yuanmingyuan Park (Summer Palace). The nine studied samples were found to be lead-glazed pottery with cobalt glaze material, and the firing temperature of the body was about 1000 °C. More importantly, the glaze showed high K and As, relatively high Ni and Ba, and small amounts of Bi and U. The results matched the characteristics of smalt imported from Europe. This research found a high content of Mn, indicating that the blue glaze was mixed with Chinese cobalt ore. Our research found that mixed cobalt material continued to be used in ceramics production in the Qing Dynasty.