Pages: 211-220 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp255211220

Glazed ceramic floor tiles are considered a distinctive feature of the decoration of Old Russian churches. Items with polychrome ornamentation represent a limited group of finds among them. The first discovery of such tiles at the Golden Gate in Vladimir was made during archaeological research in 2023. The characteristics of the pigments in their glazes were studied using Raman spectroscopy. We have identified the use of sphene (titanite) to create a milky yellow glaze in the outline plant ornament instead of the traditional lead-tin dye. A comparison is made with a yellow lead stannate glaze on the surface of a single-color tile. The green background glaze on the polychrome sample is made using a composition of lead-tin pigment and copper acetate. Analysis of the purple elements of the tiles showed the use of indigo. The features of the pigments of the studied glazed tiles are analyzed through the lens of external relations of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality in the 12 th century.

Keywords: Vladimir, Golden Gate, ceramic glazed tiles, pigments

Information about authors:

Dmitrii Abramov (Vladimir, Russian Federation). Candidate of Physics and Mathematics. Vladimir State University. Gorky St., 87, Vladimir, 600000, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-7791-9467
Oleg Danilov (Vladimir, Russian Federation). State Center for the Conservation, Use and Restoration of Cultural Objects and Cultural Heritage. Muzeynaya St., 3a, 600000, Vladimir, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0009-0009-3717-2694