Old and New World Spanish Majolica Technology
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logically excavated material from Seville, the main source of supply to the New World, or from known Puebia or Mexico City production. In the 1970s a project involving neutron activation analysis of Spanish majolica ceramics was developed through the cooperative efforts of Malcolm Watkins and Richard Ahlborn of the National Museum of American History, Charles Fairbanks of the University of Florida, and Jacqueline Olin. Neutron activation analysis provides precise simultaneous determination of the concentrations of up to 35 elements. Two chemically distinct groups of ceramics were identified among sherds excavated at New World sites. They could be stylistically divided between Spanish and Mexican production with some important exceptions. During the 1980s, source samples from Spain and Mexico were analyzed. In 1987 we undertook a joint project relating excavations at 16th century kilns in Seville to
Table I: Production sources and sites from which majolica ceramic samples have been obtained. Production Sources Triana potting district of Seville, Spain (Puerza Street kiln sites) Modern Majolica pottery manufacturers in Puebia, Mexico.
Sites Carthusian Monastery, Seville, Spain La Isabela, Dominican Republic Portuguese Qsar es-Seghir, Morocco Puerto Real, Haiti Convento de San Francisco, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Nueva Cadiz, Venezuela De Soto Site, Tallahassee, Florida Sixteenth-century St. Augustine, Florida Santa Elena, South Carolina Santa Catalina de Guale, Georgia Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City, Mexico (subfloor)
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15th-18th centures
Dates 1400-1839 ca. 1493-ca. 1500 1458-1550 1503-1578 1500-1850 1515-1541 1539-1540 1565-1600 1566-1587 1567-1680 pre-1573
our program of analysis of New World majolica. In 1988 and 1990 Myers analyzed samples of the fired clay portion of approximately 200 sherds from two kiln sites in the Triana district of Seville and 125 sherds from the 14th to 18th century monastery, La Cartuja de Sevilla. Evidence from these studies (shown in Figure 1) suggests that majolica production in Triana was highly standardized, allowing Triana production to be compositionally characterized.3 We have no data for material from excavated kiln sites in the New World but there is material, which will be discussed later, from modern majolica production in Puebia, Mexico, which has been studied. Spanish Majolica Production Excavations at the two kiln sites in Seville were made possible through an urban archaeology project undertaken during 1987.4 Subsequently, other 16th century sites in Seville were excavated and additional material has become available for study. The Listers2 describe four separate potting districts: Triana, San Vicente, San Pedro, and Puerta de Osario. The Triana district southwest of the Guadalquivir River opposite Seville, first developed during the 12th century. Beds of potting clays on the west bank of the Guadalquivir opposite Seville were used since Roman times, and from the 14th century to the present time, Triana has been known as the main potting quarter of Sev
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