Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
It is increasingly apparent that the spatial distribution of Ag and Cu nanoparticles in lustre glazes is an important factor in determining the colour displayed by the decoration. Using STEM-EDX of cross sections, this distribution can easily be imaged, as is demonstrated in two modern reconstructions of lustre decorations from Granada, Spain. On the nanoscale, the difference in colour can be related to a different spatial distribution of the Ag and Cu particles, with the brownish gold variant consisting of a top layer of Ag nanoparticles with an underlying layer of Cu nanoparticles while in the yellowish golden lustre Cu specks are unevenly dispersed.