Orpiment: Ukiyo-e colorant

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Actor Segawa Kikunojô III as Shirokiya Okoma by Katsukawa Shunsho

Orpiment 石黄(sekio): An inorganic colorant ground from a soft, yellow mineral composed of Arsenic trisulfide. It produces a brilliant golden yellow color.

Orpiment and turmeric have been the most commonly detected yellows either as single colorants or as a mixture of the two. Orpiment may have been added to increase opacity and create a vibrant rich golden yellow. An impressive number of greens can be produced when it is mixed in varied proportions with indigo. From the 1770's through the 1860's, the dominant green used for printing appears to be a mixture of these two colorants. Orpiment also frequently appears to be overprinted or mixed with safflower to create orange.

For more information see: Orpiment

Examples of Orpiment in Ukiyo-e Prints

Dyed indigo.jpg

Indigo FORS.JPG
Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu

Dyed indigo.jpg

Indigo FORS.JPG
Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu

Dyed indigo.jpg

Indigo FORS.JPG
Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu

Dyed indigo.jpg

Indigo FORS.JPG
Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu

Dyed indigo.jpg

Indigo FORS.JPG
Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu

Analysis

X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is used to detect arsenic, which is an indication for the presence of orpiment (As2S3).

Other Images of Orpiment

When we get back: take image of our orpiment chunk

List of Prints

Below is a list of prints where orpiment was detected.

Pages in category "Orpiment: Ukiyo-e colorant"

The following 54 pages are in this category, out of 54 total.

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