La porcelana de sepiolita de Bartolomé Sureda (1802-1808). Investigación arqueométrica sobre la Real Fábrica de Buen Retiro.

Abstract

This work deals with an original class of porcelain produced under the direction of Bartolomé Sureda in the last years (1803-1808) of the Royal Porcelain Factory of Buen Retiro. The results of the chemical and mineralogical analysis of a selection of tableware, tiles and sculpture shards, found in the archaeological excavation (1996) of the site where the factory was built, confirm the production of a new hard-paste porcelain where the kaolin was substituted by a magnesium clay, the sepiolite. The characteristics of pastes and glazes and the investigation of the historic and scientific contexts of porcelain and white earthenware in Europe have allowed establishing the reasons and the technical parameters of this production. Replicas of the paste were done in the laboratory to assert the raw materials and the firing conditions of this porcelain.