Of Goblins and Gods

Andrew J. Shortland is Professor of Archaeological Science at Cranfield University, working on the identification and interpretation of material culture from the ancient and historical worlds. Victoria Kemp is a postdoctoral research assistant at the Ashmolean Museum, applying surface imaging techniques and compositional analysis to study painting materials and techniques. Lasse Hermansen Bjørnland is historian and museum pedagogist, working at the Norwegian Blue Colour Works. Patrick Degryse is Professor of Archaeometry at KU Leuven, studying the history and use of mineral resources in ancient technology.

• PrefacePart 1 — Cobalt through the agesChapter 1Cobalt: Of goblins and gods Andrew J. ShortlandChapter 2 Cobalt through the ages, illustrated through a selection of objects demonstrating its use Andrew J. ShortlandPart 2 — Sources and signaturesChapter 3 Norwegian cobalt production and uses Lasse Hermansen BjørnlandChapter 4 Provenancing smalt: The potential of geological analysis Patrick Degryse and Andrew J. ShortlandChapter 5 Variations in the chemical signatures of cobalt colourants used in glass from the 17th to the early 20th centuries Bernard GratuzeChapter 6 The cobalt mine at Kashan, Iran: A brief overview of its history, from the pre- Mongol period to the early 20th century Moujan MatinChapter 7 Cobalt mining at Alderley Edge, Cheshire, UK Nigel DibbenPart 3 — ApplicationsChapter 8 Cobalt in Late Bronze Age glassmaking: Insights from archaeometric analyses and case studies Victoria Kemp and Andrew J. ShortlandChapter 9 Early Islamic cobalt-blue glass: Colourant and matrix Nadine SchibilleChapter 10 Smalt and other blues in painting from South Asia and Iran Katherine Eremin, Penley Knipe, Georgina Rayner, Jinah Kim, Richard Newman, Erin Mysak and Michelle DerrickChapter 11 The use of cobalt on Chinese ceramics from the 7th to 20th centuries CE Yun Zhang and A. Mark PollardChapter 12 Light and dark blue: A non-destructive analysis of blue enamel and underglaze compositions in Fürstenberg porcelains Dennis Braekmans, Jens Storre, Christian Lechelt, Rosa Seepma and Andrew J. Shortland

This work will become a scholarly standard reference, as it explores the subject with the latest insights from various research disciplines, encompassing both the natural sciences and the humanities. - Wim De Clercq, University of Ghent