Bibliography

MFA Publications

• "Characterization of Yellow and Red Natural Organic Colorants on Japanese Woodblock Prints by EEM Fluorescence Spectroscopy" by Michele Derrick, Richard Newman, and Joan Wright in JAIC, 2017. link

Excitation–emission matrix (EEM), or 3D fluorescence spectroscopy, was used to characterize natural yellow and red organic colorants in 18th-century Japanese woodblock prints as part of a project designed to systematically identify the colorants. This analysis technique collected emission spectra in the visible region for a sequence of excitation wavelengths at 10 nm steps from 250 to 600 nm. The resultant data set provided characteristic excitation/emission patterns that were used to identify several natural colorants, including safflower, madder, sappanwood, gamboge, flavonoids, berberines, and turmeric. In combination with other non-sampling methodologies, including x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), most colorants on the prints were quickly and non-destructively characterized. Based on examination of 213 prints, several patterns of colorant use were observed. The prints often contained more than one yellow, red, or blue colorant. From 1781 to 1801, considered the Golden Age, it was common to find multiple types of yellows, reds, and blues on a single print. The colorant madder was identified on many of the prints, while gardenia and berberine-containing dyes were not found. This paper presents the theory, experimental parameters, and limitations of the EEM fluorescence technique.

• "Plant Dye Identification in Japanese Woodblock prints" by Michele Derrick, Joan Wright, and Richard Newman in Arnoldia 74/3, February 2017. link

Three non-destructive analysis techniques were used in the analysis and identification of natural colorants used in the production of Japanese woodblock prints. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used to determine the presence of any inorganic compounds, and fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) was used to distinguish between indigo and dayflower in the blue, green, and purple regions. A third technique, excitation emission matrix (EEM), or 3-D fluorescence spectroscopy, was used for the characterization of the red and yellow plant-based colorants.

• "The Colors of Desire: Beauties of the Yoshiwara Observed" by Joan Wright, Michele Derrick, and Michiko Adachi in Suzuki Harunobu exhibition catalog, 2017.

Published during the final year of his life, Suzuki Harunobu’s five volume Beauties of the Yoshiwara (1770) is considered to be one of the first full-color printed books and can be seen not only as a masterpiece of his designs for book illustration but also as a compelling example of how artisan-printers might have developed a palette during the early years of full-color printing. Within these five volumes, the profusion of colors and innovative mixtures seen in the first two volumes appears to give way in the last three volumes to a comparatively restrained palette. During the years that followed Harunobu and as print production matured, the development of a standardized palette was likely advantageous for both efficiency and economy within the increasingly commercialized world of publishing.

Other Publications and Resources

• On Japanese Pigments by Toyokichi Takamatsu, 1878. link

• Tokuno Gift at the National Museum of American History, 1889. link

A group of prints, woodblocks, tools and sample pigments that were gifted to the Smithsonian in 1889 by Michimasa Tokuno who was the head of the Japanese bureaud of engraving and printing.

• Nishikie no hori to suri by Kendo Ishii, 1929. Translation by Tim Clarke is also available.

• The connoisseruship problem of discolored lead pigments in Japanese woodblock prints by Judith Walsh, Barbarar H. Berrie and Michael Palmer in "IPC conference papers London, 1997: proceedings of the Fourth Internation Conference of the Institute of Paper Conservation, 6-9 April 1997, 1998"

• A study of dayflower blue used in Ukiyo-e prints by Shiho Sasaki and Pauline Webber, 2002. link

• Ultraviolet and infrared examination of Japanese woodblock prints:identifying reds and blues by Betty Fiske and Linda Stiber Morenus, 2004. link

• The identification and light sensitivity of Japanese woodblock print colorants: the impact on art history and preservation by Sandra A. Connors, Paul M. Whitmore, Roger S. Keyes, and Elizabeth I. Coombs in "Scientific research on the pictorial arts of Asia:proceedings of the second Forbes Symposium at the Freer Gallery of Art, 2005"

• Environmental Degradation vs. Artistic Intention: The Darkening of Lead Pigments on Japanese Woodblock Prints by Christina Finlyason, Aaron Shugar, and Judith Walsh, 2009. link

• Characterization of traditional Japanese colorants in woodblock printing using multispectral imaging by Gwenanne Edwards, Cyntia Karnes, and Lynn Brostoff, 2012. link

• A timeline for the introduction of synthetic dyestuffs in Japan during the late Edo and Meiji periods by Anna Cesaratto, Yan-Bing Lueo, Henry D. Smith II, and Marco Leona, 2018. link

• Creation and reference characterization of Edo period Japanese woodblock printing ink colorant samples using multimodal imaging and reflectance spectroscopy by Tana Villafana and Gwenanne Edwards, 2019. [1]