Difference between revisions of "Category:Safflower: Ukiyo-e colorant"

From CAMEO
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 61: Line 61:
 
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230.png|Orange house (MFA 21.9230) with safflower and turmeric
 
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230.png|Orange house (MFA 21.9230) with safflower and turmeric
 
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230 EEM.png|EEM  
 
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230 EEM.png|EEM  
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230 FORS.png|FORS
+
 
 
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230 XRF.png|XRF
 
Safflower over turmeric 21.9230 XRF.png|XRF
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>

Revision as of 13:55, 13 May 2020

Description

For ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) was the primary red and pink colorant used consistently for all of the time periods and printing methods.

Safflower (benibana): The florets of Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) produce a wide range of colors from cherry red to pink. Native to northern India and the Near East, this popular dye plant was widely cultivated throughout Asia and Europe by the end of the 13th century. The florets are picked, then dried and crushed into a paste. The paste is washed with water to remove the non-lightfast yellow chromophors including several quinochalcones. The red colorant, primarily carthamin, is then extracted in an alkaline bath. The deepest reds are obtained through several initial washings to remove all of the water-soluble yellows.

Red regions containing safflower were usually seen as brightly fluorescent during the preliminary examination of the prints with a hand-held UV light. Thus, it was no surprise that the EEM fluorescence technique provided a unique and definitive pattern for safflower, even when it was visually observed in the print as a faded brown color. In addition to the fluorescence for the red chromophor, the pattern often contained an additional peak for the yellow chromophore that was supposedly removed in the preparation of the red colorant but often needed several washings for complete elimination.

The presence of this mixture throughout the history of color printing seems to indicate that the tone obtained by mixing dayflower blue and safflower was preferred over other possible mixtures of reds and blues to yield purple (for example indigo and madder).

Examples of Safflower in Ukiyo-e Prints

Red lantern (MFA 06.809)

Safflower red 06.809 EEM.png
EEM of red lantern in MFA 06.809

Pink tree (MFA 06.795)

Safflower pink 06.795 EEM.png
EEM of pink tree in MFA 06.795

Safflower light pink cloud 11.17586.png

Safflower light pink 11.17586 EEM.png
EEM of pink cloud (MFA 11.17586)

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

Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) spectroscopy can easily identify the commonly used organic reds: safflower, madder, and sappanwood.

Other Images of Safflower

Pages in category "Safflower: Ukiyo-e colorant"

The following 55 pages are in this category, out of 55 total.

K