Gamboge: Ukiyo-e colorant

Perspective Picture of a Triptych of the Three Evening Poems by Okumura Masanobu

Gamboge 藤黄 (tōō): A yellow-orange gum resin produced by several species of Garcinia tree found in South Asia (e.g. Garcinia morella) and Southeast Asia (e.g. Garcinia hanburyi). Gamboge was used as a yellow pigment as early as the 8th century in Asia and Japan. Gamboge is composed of a yellow resinous component (70-80%; morelloflavone) and a clear water-soluble Gum (20%). Gamboge is obtained by scoring the trunks of trees of at least ten years of age in order to let the poisonous milky yellow resin drip into hollow bamboo canes. Once the resin has congealed, the bamboo is roasted over fire to evaporate remaining moisture. Then the bamboo it broken away to reveal rods of raw gamboge, which are then pulverized. Once pulverized, the color of gamboge is transformed from a dull to bright yellow.

Gamboge produces a transparent yellow which was frequently hand-painted on prints dating from the1690s to the 1740s. After the introduction of full color printing, its use seems to decline perhaps because the other yellows were easier to obtain and/or print and mix with other colorants.

For additional information see: Gamboge, Uemura Dye Archive: Gamboge 195, Garcinia hanburyi (Kew), Garcinia morella (Kew)

Examples of Gamboge in Ukiyo-e Prints


Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu


Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu


Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu


Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu


Beauties of the Yoshiwara by Suzuki Harunobu

Analysis

Gamboge does not fluoresce under UVA radiation and does not produce a distinct pattern using Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) spectroscopy. This, in itself is unique because of the possible yellow colorants analyzed, it is the only bright yellow colorant that not only does not fluoresce but also absorbs the fluorescence emitted by the paper. This negative indication can be sometimes used to assign the presence of gamboge.