... continued from Antique Porcelain Authentication
Scientific authentication of Antique Ceramics Most authentication of antique Chinese porcelain and pottery is currently done by visual inspection. Scientific methods are available but not widely used. Partially this could be due to the relatively high cost involved. It may not always be a good idea to do a scientific analysis costing more than the item itself.
TL analysis(thermoluminescence analysis) is more suited for pottery than porcelain. It requires the removal of a fairly large clay sample of approx. 3 mm diameter, which may destruct thin porcelain. Here is a link to
Oxford Authentication Ltd.
, which currently probably is the world's foremost provider of TL analysis.
Other scientific methods are based mainly on spectrometric analysis (spectrometry) and their sampling amount is so minute that it is invisible to the bare eye. That makes it more suitable for the finer porcelains.
One method, specifically seems to be getting more popular: Laser Ablation ICP-MS With this method the trace elements present in the clay of ceramics are analyzed using spectrometry, then the results are compared to sample data from the different kilns and periods. Once they fit, the period and location of production of a ceramic item is positiviely identified. This type of scientific authentication is likely to gain popularity for porcelains due to its non-destructive sampling. The extracted amount of material is extremely small and doesn't harm the ceramic body.
Note: There are rumours that expert forgers are catching up on spectrometry analysis methods too and are sometimes adding the necessary mineral elements to the clay to fool the instruments. Thus, we may not be able to completely rely on this method alone in the future either.
