6533b7d8fe1ef96bd126b4fc

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Origin and Development of French Faience: The Contribution ofArchaeology and the Physical Sciences

subject

description

International audience; French tin-glazed earthenware, or faience, is commonlyfound during excavations in mainland North America,where it is usually identified using morpho-stylistic typologies based on regional styles. Since the 1970s, developmentof the archaeology of French production sites and of awell-crafted archaeometric methodology has led to a better understanding of the specific technical characteristicsof this type of earthenware. Using control samples fromfaience factory dumps, many traditional attributions havebeen revised and some historical interpretations have beenreviewed. Such advances are particularly important formaterial culture studies in former French colonial areas.