Iridescence

Favrile vase
MFA# 65.1193

Description

Greek bowl
MFA# 30.213

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

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  Iridescent butterfly wings

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  Iridescent Pearl (fine)

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  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