Ukiyo-e Print Colorant Database

The Asian Conservation Studio and Scientific Research Laboratory at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) have been conducting research into the colorants used in Japanese woodblock prints from the Edo period (1603–1868). This work combines the perspectives of conservators, who are familiar with the practical use of materials and their physical characteristics with scientists’ expertise in analysis and interpretation of data. This project has relied solely on non-invasive techniques that do not require sampling from prints.

The Ukiyo-e Print Colorant Database presents results of this research in a format organized around individual prints, with additional sections on individual colorants and analytical techniques. It currently focuses on prints from the MFA’s collection that date from the early 1700s to the mid-1800s. It does not encompass the whole breadth of colorants used in Japanese woodblock prints, particularly the synthetic dyes that came into use during the later part of the 19th century. Around 250 prints are currently featured in the database, with more being added as existing data is re-evaluated and new data acquired. More on the data.

Colorants

The basic palette used for printing was often created with a single colorant for the primary colors (blue, red, and yellow). The secondary colors (purple, green, and orange) were created using mixtures of blue/red, blue/yellow and red/yellow in variable proportions. Sometimes one colorant was printed over another to create a secondary color. Secondary colors were also made by mixing two (or more) colorants. Close observation under a microscope can usually distinguish how these colors were applied on a given print.

There are many instances of two red colorants being mixed together. These mixtures may have been fabricated to create a different tonal range or for economic reasons to extend a more costly colorant with a cheaper one. Such mixtures can be found on these pages: Red/Red Mixtures. Particularly notable among these are mixtures of safflower and madder in red passages, which were encountered in a relatively large number of prints.

Please click on any colorant below to see examples of the printed colors, spectra, along with lists of analyzed prints containing each colorant.

Blue Dayflower Indigo Prussian blue Yellow Turmeric Orpiment Flavonoids Gamboge Iron oxide yellow

Red Safflower Madder Sappanwood Red lead Vermilion Red/Yellow Mixtures Purple Dayflower + Safflower Other Purples

Green Dayflower + Turmeric Indigo + Orpiment Prussian blue + Orpiment Other Greens Brown Iron oxide red Black Carbon black

White Calcium carbonate Lead white Mica Mica Metallic Brass Tin

By Artist

Prints analyzed listed by artist.

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C Chōbunsai Eishi H Hanekawa Chinchō I Ippitsusai Bunchō Ishikawa Toyonobu Isoda Koryusai K Katsukawa Shunkō Katsukawa Shunshō

Katsushika Hokusai Katsushika Taito II Keisai Eisen Kikukawa Eizan Kitagawa Utamaro I Kitao Shigemasa Kokan Komatsuken Kubo Shunman O Okumura Masanobu Okumura Toshinobu

R Ryūryūkyo Shinsai S Suzuki Harunobu T Torii Kiyohiro Torii Kiyomasu I Torii Kiyomasu II Torii Kiyomitsu I Torii Kiyonaga Torii Kiyonobu I Torii Kiyotada I

Tōshūsai Sharaku Totoya Hokkei U Utagawa Hiroshige I Utagawa Hiroshige II Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) Utagawa Kuniyoshi Utagawa Toyoharu Utagawa Toyokuni I Y Yanagawa Shigenobu I

Bibliography

A list of publications and resources on the identification of colorants in Japanese woodblock prints. This list is not intended to be exhaustive.

About the Collection

The MFA has over 50,000 Japanese prints and approximately 3,000 titles of illustrated books covering the Edo period (1603–1868) to the present. The Japanese woodblock print collection spans the Edo period from its birth to color printing to its height as a commercial product and to its end in the Meiji period (1868–1912). This collection represents not only the breadth of artists working at the time but also multiple impressions and editions, making it a comprehensive resource for scholarship, research, and teaching. Collections from prominent Bostonians such as William Sturgis Bigelow, Denman Ross, and the Spaulding brothers at the turn of the century form the basis of the collection. Furthermore, the William S. and John T. Spaulding Collection,​ which is comprised of over 6,000 prints, is available to researchers and educators as an important study collection. Because the Spaulding Collection is not exhibited, these prints generally display remarkable preservation of the colorants making it a valuable benchmark for the study of color and palette.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the many volunteers who contributed to this research. We are also grateful to Richard and JoAnn Pinkowitz for donating to this database project which allowed us to bring the Ukiyo-e Print Colorant Database online.