Difference between revisions of "Iridescence"
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Revision as of 13:28, 25 August 2020
Description
The shimmery color effect seen on butterfly wings, soap bubbles, or with a thin oil film on water. Iridescence is caused by the diffraction of light between two adjacent materials with different refractive indices. Devitrified glass sometimes has an iridescent sheen due to the thin surface scales.
Synonyms and Related Terms
iridescent
Additional Images
Greek bowl
MFA Acc. #: 30.213
Iridescent butterfly wings
Iridescent Pearl (fine)
Soap bubbles
Resources and Citations
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridescence