Incised slipware production at Castelfiorentino (Florence): the 'via bertini' site (15th-17th centuries)

This study deals with the physical-chemical and mineralogical-petrographic investigations (OM, SEM-EDS, EPMA, ICP, XRpD, Mossbauer and IR) conducted on first- and second-firing wasters belonging to two types of incised slipware (sgraffito), manufactured at Castelfiorentino between the late 15th and the early 17th centuries. Raw materials, colouring agents and firing products were analysed in order to establish the production technology of the ceramic coatings, by means of detailed microtextural and chemical investigations. The pottery underwent two firing processes: the firing of the white slip-coated ceramic body and a further firing after application of the glaze. The homogeneity of the raw materials, white slip and glaze is remarkable, and demonstrates the use of well-established recipes with a constant supply of raw materials from the same places. Highly efficient kiln management during both firings is revealed by body-glaze interface reactions.