Technical Analysis and Identification of a Glass Inlaid Sui-Tang Dynasty Woman’s Crown

Abstract A woman’s crown made of fine gilt bronze with refined glass inlay work was excavated in 2007 from the Sui-Tang tomb called Kunlun M2 in Xi’an. Many questions surround this mysterious crown which was found buried without context. This study uses nondestructive analysis of the crown to determine its significance, when was it made, and the status of the woman for whom was it made. Optical microscopy (OM), optical coherence tomography (OCT), micro X-ray fluorescence imagery (XRF), and Raman spectroscopy were applied, and identified the crown’s inlays as potash-lime glass, composed mainly of the raw materials include vein quartz or quartzite with potassium nitrate as flux. The inlays were sintered before embedding into gilt copper wire filigree. Compared with existing research on other crowns and their inlays, it is speculated that the crown dates from the Sui dynasty (581-618) or early Tang dynasty (618-649), was made locally by Chinese craftsmen and belonged to the wife of an official.