Application of X-ray technique on the study of Cloisonné enamel in the Palace Museum

BackgroundThere are a large number of Cloisonné enamel in the Palace Museum, among which there are many problems in the screening of the manufacture process and background information of the enamel with "Jingtai". X-ray technology can be applied to non-destructive test of the structure and composition of enamel, and help researchers to acquire the information behind cultural relics.PurposeThis study aims to apply X-ray techniques to the investigation of Cloisonné enamel in the Palace Museum for analyzing their period, glaze and structure.MethodsFirstly, two pieces of enamel inscribed with "Jingtai" in the Palace Museum were selected as the research object. Then, the X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy techniques were applied to investigating the period, glaze, structure and composition of these two Cloisonné enamels. Finally, comparative analysis of these identified characteristics was conducted to infer the differences in different parts of Cloisonné enamels.ResultsAnalysis results indicate that both of two Cloisonné enamels are old utensils made by changing their shapes with recombination of the old pieces, thus forming a new piece of enamel with "Jingtai" engraved on the bottom.ConclusionsThrough the mutual verification between the results of scientific and technical means, a clear conclusion is obtained, which provides a new idea and solution for the subsequent research on the modified enamel.