Week 51: Dec. 22, 2024

The Madonna and Child, Workshop of Andrea della Robbia, Italian, 16th century, Glazed terracotta

Thermoluminescence…

It seems that the wreath was cast in the 15th-century, yet thermoluminescence testing has revealed that the Madonna and Child inside it are replacements likely cast in the 19th-century. The original is somewhat larger and is still in Florence today.

But I like the concept of thermoluminescence. I’ve read a bit about it - and while I don’t thoroughly understand it - it’s yet another key to determining age of the things we find from long ago. And I like that.