Barwood

Cut piece of camwood

Description

A reddish hardwood obtained from the genus Ptercarpus (e.g., Baphia nitida) trees in Sierra Leone (barwood) and the west coast of Africa (camwood). Barwood trees produce a fugitive red dyestuff containing santalin that has been used for textiles and tanning leather. The dye is soluble in alcohol, but insoluble and water. It was used commercially to produce mock turkey red dyes.

See also sandalwood

Ground pieces of camwood

Synonyms and Related Terms

sanderswood; red sandalwood; ruby wood; sandalo rosso (It.)

Other Properties

Soluble in alcohol, acids and alkalis.

Insoluble in water.

Additional Images

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  Ground pieces of barwood

Authority

• G.S.Brady, G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 136

• Ralph Mayer, Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000

• F. Crace-Calvert, F. Crace-Calvert, Dyeing and Calico Printing, Palmer & Howe, London, 1876