This book is the first in-depth study of colorants in Chinese paintings on silk or paper and for the first time they have been compiled into a single volume which provides an overview of pigments used in Chinese paintings from the traditional palette to the importation of new pigments in the modern era.
With pigment identifications of more than two hundred paintings in the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery collections, this volume provides the reader with a large database of primary source material that can be used in further technical studies and comparative investigations. Adding to previous studies, it pushes forward efforts to develop a chronology for pigment use in East Asian painting.
You can have a look inside the book here.
Introduction
Pigments in Chinese Paintings
Blythe MCCARTHY
Chapter 1
Pigments in Song and Yuan Paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art
Jennifer GIACCAI, Jeffrey JOSEPH, and John WINTER
Chapter 2
Red Insect Dyes in Paintings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Christina BISULCA and John WINTER
Chapter 3
Blue Colorants in Paintings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Yae ICHIMIYA and John WINTER
Chapter 4
Colorants and Painting Techniques in Portraits from the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Jennifer GIACCAI, Christina BISULCA, Yae ICHIMIYA, and John WINTER
Chapter 5
The Introduction of Nontraditional Pigments into the Chinese Palette
Blythe MCCARTHY and Jennifer GIACCAI
Appendix 1
Analytical Methods
Appendix 2
FORS Identification of Red Anthraquinone Dyes in Chinese Paintings
Christina BISULCA
Appendix 3
FORS Identification of Azurite, Indigo, and Prussian Blue in Chinese Paintings
Yae ICHIMIYA
Appendix 4
Historical, Modern, and Chemical Pigment Names
SHU Yue and all Contributors
Appendix 5
Complete Analysis Results
Index
"The book covers research carried out on two hundred Chinese Paintings including different typologies such as hanging scrolls and handscrolls, portraits and a selection of albums, all dating from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the early twentieth century, created by different artists from various regions. A team of experts from different fields developed a scientific approach to characterize pigments and colorants including information about their origins and insights into the commercial trade between China and the rest of the world. (...) The book is available both in print and online formats, and it will undoubtedly serve as a reference in the field."
Jani Santos, full review in NIC Issue 99, December-January 2024
This title has received the AIC 2024 Publication Award for excellence in an article or book on conservation.
