Study on the source of raw material and firing technique of glazed tiles bodies in the Ming Imperial palace site, Nanjing, China

Abstract This article considered glazed tiles excavated from the Ming Imperial Palace site in Nanjing as the research object. Glazed tiles were selected and analyzed via vacuum porosimeter, thermal dilation (TD), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) to determine their physical property, firing temperature, phase composition, and chemical composition, respectively. Results show that the firing temperature of body belongs to the temperature range (of 950–1,100°C), whereas the water absorption and apparent porosity are large. The phase composition of glazed tile bodies is the same (predominantly quartz and mullite). However, some samples contain trace amounts of rutile, hematite, sodalite, and orthoclase. The firing temperature combined with the phase composition indicates that the raw material and firing process of glazed tile body samples have similarities, which embody of the strict and unified management system of the official kiln. The raw materials of glazed tile body in the Ming Imperial Palace site may come from Dangtu glazed kiln, whereas the rest of the samples remains to be explored. This study provides a scientific basis for understanding the evolution of glazed tile‐making technology in ancient China, and is important for the protection and repair of glazed buildings in the Ming Dynasty.