Orpiment: Ukiyo-e colorant

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The Armor-pulling Scene at Wada's Banquet by Utagawa Toyoharu

Orpiment 石黄 (sekiō): An inorganic colorant ground from a soft, yellow mineral composed of Arsenic trisulfide. It produces a brilliant golden yellow color.

Orpiment and turmeric have been the most commonly detected yellows either as single colorants or as a mixture of the two. Orpiment may have been added to increase opacity and create a vibrant rich golden yellow. An impressive number of greens can be produced when it is mixed in varied proportions with indigo. From the 1770s through the 1860s, the dominant green used for printing appears to be a mixture of these two colorants. Orpiment also frequently appears to be overprinted or mixed with safflower to create orange.

For additional information see: Orpiment

Examples of Orpiment in Ukiyo-e Prints

11.14977-pt1-detail.png

1114977-Pt1-XRF.jpg
Pt 1: Printed
Kitao Shigemasa, 11.14977

11.14191-pt1-detail.png

1114191-Pt1-XRF.jpg
Pt 1: Printed
Kitagawa Utamaro I, 11.14191

11.14704-pt1-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 1: Printed
Utagawa Toyoharu, 11.14704

11.17946-pt2-detail.png

1117946-Pt2-XRF.jpg
Pt 2: Printed
Keisai Eisen, 11.17946

11.28766-pt2-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 2: Printed
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 11.28766

Analysis

X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is used to detect arsenic (As) and sulfur (S) (depending on instrument settings). When it is found in an area where a yellow colorant was used such as yellow, orange, and green, it is an indication for the presence of orpiment (As2S3).

Images of Orpiment

List of Prints

Below is a list of prints where orpiment was detected.

Pages in category "Orpiment: Ukiyo-e colorant"

The following 55 pages are in this category, out of 55 total.

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