MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CERAMIC TILE MOSAIC FROM TWO 17TH-CENTURY ISLAMIC MONUMENTS IN NORTHERN INDIA

Coloured tiles from two northern Indian monuments were analysed for their body and glaze composition. The results suggest that three different groups of tiles were used, all comprising a stonepaste body with alkali glaze. One group has strong similarities to a major Indian glass group, known as high alumina mineral natron glass, while the other two are similar to Western and Central Asian plant ash glazes, although with much lower lime content. The colorants conform with those usually employed in pre-modern glazes, with lead-tin yellow Type I and Type II for opaque yellow, copper blue-turquoise, cobalt blue, manganese purple, and green through mixing of lead-tin yellow and copper blue.