Studio scientifico di antiche statuette cinesi dell'epoca della dinastia Tang

The present thesis focuses on the archaeometric investigation of a group of ancient Chinese terracotta statuettes held by the Museum of Cultures (Mudec) of Milan. The examined museum set consists of ten separate figurines stylistically dated between the beginning of the Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). However, very little provenance information is available. Here, the scientific survey aims at shedding light on the material composition and retrieving the realization technique of the museum figurines. First, the visual examination and the portable micro-Raman spectroscopy are performed to identify the relevant sampling zone. Then, a multi-technique and multi-scale approach is employed. All the collected micro-samples are deeply characterized by a combination of laboratory microscopies and synchrotron-based micro-analysis. More specifically, micro-Raman and micro-FTIR spectroscopies are carried out on the raw fragments. Next, thin cross-sections are analyzed by SEM-EDS, µXRF/µXRD mapping, and Fe K-edge µXANES at the ID21 and ID13 beamlines at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France. The employed methodological approach allows maximizing the analysis performed on the same sample and obtaining complementary outcomes from the different techniques. Together with the iconographic analysis, the comparison between the results of scientific examinations, historical texts, and literature cases allows looking closer at the historical context of the museum finds and getting insight into their manufacturing process. Thus, this thesis might represent the early attempts to perform scientific investigations of Tang dynasty figurines of uncertain provenance which can be widely found in Western museums and galleries.