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Historical Pigments & Illumination |
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Kremer Pigments: http://www.kremer-pigmente.de
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JR Tresser, Inc. Gilding Materials: http://www.jtresser.com/MATERIALS.html
Master John the Artificer (John Rose) jartificer@aol.com
Paper & Ink Arts: http://www.paperinkarts.com
John Neal Books: http://www.johnnealbooks.com/
Odd Supplies
MakeStuff.com: http://www.make-stuff.com/home_business/resource_list.html
Some Really Cool Information Links
Pigments Through the Ages: http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/
Pigments: Historical, Chemical, and Artistic : http://www.jcsparks.com/painted/pigment-chem.html
Sanders Studios: http://www.sanders-studios.com/instruction/tutorials/historyanddefinitions/pigmentspast.html
http://www.sanders-studios.com/instruction/tutorials/historyanddefinitions/pigmentchem.html
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A Brief Description of Period Colours
This document can be downloaded as a PDF file here.
Whites
Lead white - Ceruse (toxic! contains lead) lead acetate, incompatible with verdigris & orpiment, made by alchemy - exposing lead plates to vinegar fumes & carbon dioxide (Theophilus recommends tempering with glair), used from antiquity.
Bone White - calcined bone, bone heated in the presence of oxygen until all the carbon is burned off, basically calcium carbonate, was used as the usual replacement for lead white with verdigris & orpiment, used from antiquity.
Chalk white - ground washed mineral chalk, used from antiquity.
Gypsum white - a white made from slaked plaster, especially used in fresco and on walls, used from antiquity.
Blacks
Lamp Black - carbon black collected from a lamp oil flame, soot, used from antiquity.
Ivory Black - bone, ivory, and/or horn burned without exposure to oxygen, used from antiquity.
Vine Black - grape vine twigs burned without exposure to oxygen
Bone Black - bone burned without exposure to oxygen, used from antiquity.
Hartshorn Black - horn burned without exposure to oxygen
Reds
Vermilion (toxic! contains mercury) synthetic red mercuric sulfide - made by alchemy from mercury and sulfur heated in a sealed vessel, a strong red, may be tempered with the addition of a small amount of egg yolk, production probably discovered as early as the 6th C, certainly by the 9th C.
Cinnabar (toxic! contains mercury) - natural mineral red mercuric sulfide, an ore of mercury, a strong red, may be tempered with the addition of a small amount of egg yolk, used from antiquity.
Minium - red lead (toxic! contains lead) red tetroxide of lead, incompatible with verdigris & orpiment, made by alchemy, roasting white lead in an open iron pan, an orangish red, (Theophilus recommends tempering with glair), used from antiquity.
Crimson, Madder lake - Alizarin crimson b a lake made from the root of the Madder plant, color varies according to the mordant used in production, somewhat fugitive, used from antiquity. The modern synthetic pigment Alizarin Crimson is chemically the same but more pure and more durable.
Cochineal lake (Carmine) b a lake made from the cochineal insect, contains carminic acid, can also be used in dye form as a transparent wash, color varies according to the mordant used in production, somewhat fugitive, new world replacement for Kermes & Grain.
Kermes lake (Carmine)b a lake made from the Kermes insect, contains carminic acid, can also be used in dye form as a transparent wash, color varies according to the mordant used in production, somewhat fugitive, (Theophilus recommends tempering with glair), used from antiquity.
Grain lake b a lake made from the "Grain" insect, contains carminic acid, can also be used in dye form as a transparent wash, color varies according to the mordant used in production, somewhat fugitive, (Theophilus recommends tempering with glair), used from antiquity.
Brazil lake bb very fugitive, a lake made from "Brazil" wood from the Caesalpinia tree , can also be used in dye form as a transparent wash, the country takes it's name from this tree, color varies according to the mordant used in production.
Lac - resin which is produced on certain kinds of trees by the sting of certain insects, best color when alkali, a slightly brownish red, color varies somewhat by pH and prefers a slight alkaline, said not to be too useful for books.
Sienna - burnt sienna - a natural iron earth, a brownish red, used from antiquity.
Dragons Blood - a natural resin from the East Indian shrub Pterocarpus draco, or Dradacoena draco, a reddish brown.
Red Ochre- a natural iron earth, a brownish red, used from antiquity.
Venetian Red - a natural iron earth, a brownish red, used from antiquity.
Armenian Bole - a natural iron earth, a brownish red, used from antiquity.
Hematite Red - a natural mineral red from hematite, used from antiquity.
Oranges
Realgar (toxic! - contains arsenic) incompatible with verdigris & leads, an unstable colour liable to turn black, a natural mineral variant of orpiment, used from antiquity.
Yellows
Orpiment (toxic! - contains arsenic) incompatible with verdigris & leads, a natural mineral arsenic ore, a bright somewhat golden yellow, it can also be refined (or produced) alchemically with arsenic and sulfur, it was popular despite it's toxicity and incompatibility failings for it golden colour, used from antiquity.
Gamboge b (purgative) - a somewhat fugitive resin of the oriental tree Garcinia hanburyi , used in the east as early as the 6th C, uncertain when it reached the West.
Lead-Tin Yellow (toxic - contains lead) lead stannate, made by alchemy from white or red lead and tin salts, a bright yellow, may have been discovered as early as 1300.
Massicot - Litharge - Lead Yellow b (toxic - contains lead) incompatible with verdigris & orpiment , made by alchemy, roasting white lead in an open iron pan (not as much as red lead,), it is an unstable peachy flesh tone colour, light sensitive - turns grey/green in sunlight, used from antiquity.
Naples yellow ("Lead antimonate yellow") (toxic! contains lead & antimony) made by alchemy from white or red lead and antimony in late period, may have been available in a natural form near Mt. Vesuvius.
Yellow Ochre - a natural iron bearing earth pigment, from dull mustard to a fairly bright yellow depending on source, some of the best sources are from Burgundy in France, used from antiquity.
Weld Lakes b a somewhat fugitive lake of the weld plant
Sap Yellow b a somewhat fugitive & transparent colour made from unripe buckthorn berries in the genus Rhamnus, popular for brightening greens.
Bile Yellow (Lombard Gold) - made from fish bile or gall stones, chalk, & vinegar
Saffron - spice from crocus sativus , a bright pure transparent somewhat fugitive yellow, sometimes used in washes, but mostly used to brighten greens, used from antiquity.
Greens
Chrysocolla - a natural mineral copper silicate
Malachite - a natural mineral copper ore, don't grind too much lest it lighten in colour too much, temper with a strong medium such as hide glue as it is a bit grainy, used from antiquity.
Terre Vert - a natural iron & chromium bearing earth pigment, usually an olive green, sometimes rather pale depending on the source, can be brightened with yellow, used from antiquity.
Verdigris (copper acetate) ~ acidic, incompatible with leads, orpiment , & alkalis, made by alchemy - exposing copper plates to vinegar fumes & carbon dioxide, care should be taken that it is not too acidic least it corrode the paper, temper with an excess of size, and perhaps a bit of egg yolk, as the extra binder helps keep the colour darker and more green, a temperamental bright blue/green used from antiquity.
Salt Green ~ acidic , incompatible with leads , orpiment , & alkalis, made by alchemy - exposing copper plates coated with honey and salt to vinegar fumes & carbon dioxide, Theophilus indicates that it is not good in books, more green and less blue than verdigris.
Rouen Green - soap green (lipid copper green) ~ acidic , incompatible with leads , orpiment , & alkalis, made by alchemy - exposing copper plates coated with soap to vinegar fumes & carbon dioxide, more green and less blue than verdigris.
Iris Green b a somewhat fugitive & transparent colour made from the juice of iris blossoms, mixed with a little alum to brighten the colour.
Sap green b a somewhat fugitive & transparent colour made from the juice of ripe buckthorn berries in the genus Rhamnus, treated with a bit of alum and thickened.
Blues
Azurite - made from a natural mineral copper ore, ground and washed, very permanent, like malachite it cannot be ground too fine lest it lose it's depth of colour, one of the principal blues, used from antiquity. Coarser, darker grinds may be tempered with hide glue to help them adhere better.
Ultramarine - made from the copper silicate gemstone Lapis Lazuli, the most valued pigment of the middle ages and renaissance as it came from across-the-sea = Ultramarine & was more costly than it's weight in gold, the only ancient source was in Afghanistan. Can not just be ground and washed, but must be processed using a wax & resin mixture kneaded in lye water. Chemically identical to modern synthetic French Ultramarine.
Indigo / Woad ~b a dye extracted from indigo or woad plants, was popularly lightened with white lead, or mixed with yellows to make greens, by itself a very dark greenish blue, used from antiquity.
Turnsole ("folium," "heliotrope") b the juice from the berries/seeds of the three-seeded heliotrope, Crozophora tinctoria , it is pH sensitive, being blue(heliotrope) in the presence of alkalis , red in the presence of acids, and purple(folium) in neutral pH, very popular as a transparent colour in the 14th & 15th C as a purple or for amending blues.
Purples
Tyrian Purple Imperial Purple - The purple used for the Imperial Families of Rome and Byzantium, made from the dye of aquatic snails of the murex and welk families, 1 gram of this dye is made from the secretion of 10,000 of these large sea snails, always one of the costliest colours, it currently sells for almost $100 for 25mg, used from antiquity.
Folium ("turnsole," "heliotrope") b the juice from the berries/seeds of the three-seeded heliotrope, Crozophora tinctoria , it is pH sensitive, being blue(heliotrope) in the presence of alkalis , red in the presence of acids, and purple(folium) in neutral pH, very popular as a transparent colour in the 14th & 15th C as a purple or for amending blues.
Archil - made from the lichen Recall tinctoria
Browns
Umbers (raw & burnt)- natural iron bearing earth colours in the brown range, used from antiquity.
Dragons Blood - a natural resin from the East Indian shrub Pterocarpus draco, or Dradacoena draco, a reddish brown, used from antiquity.
Caput Mortuum (Calcined (burnt) Hematite) - a purplish brown found naturally, or made by heating Hematite, , used from antiquity.
References & Resources
The Craftsman's Handbook: "Il Libro dell' Arte" Cennino d'Andrea Cennini, (A treatise on painting from 15th C Florence) Translated by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr., ©1933 Yale Press, ©1960 DV Thompson, printed by Dover Publications Inc., New York, NY. ISBN 0-486-20054-X
The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting, Daniel V. Thompson, Jr., ©1960 DV Thompson, printed by Dover Publications Inc., New York, NY. ISBN 0-486-20327-1
On Diverse Arts, Theophilus, (A 12th C treatise on the arts) translated from the Latin with introduction & notes by John G. Hawthorne & Cyril Stanley Smith, ©1963, 1979 by Cyril Stanley Smith, printed by Dover Publications Inc., New York, NY. ISBN 0-486-23784-2
Pigments Through the Ages: http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/history/leadwhite.html
Pigments: Historical, Chemical, & Artistic: http://www.jcsparks.com/painted/pigment-chem.html
Courtesy of John Rose (Master John the Artificer )
Sanders Studios:
http://www.sanders-studios.com/instruction/tutorials/historyanddefinitions/pigmentspast.html
http://www.sanders-studios.com/instruction/tutorials/historyanddefinitions/pigmentchem.html
All material on this page copyright ©2003 Steve Otlowski - Tengwar Press.