Indigo/Orpiment: Ukiyo-e colorant

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Kamakura Village by Katsushika Hokusai

Indigo + Orpiment: Green is achieved by mixing or overprinting a blue and a yellow colorant. The dominant formulation for green after the development of full-color printing in the mid-1700s was a mixture of indigo and orpiment. By altering the proportions of each, a wide variation of greens could be obtained. The preference for this formulation of green may have been due to the relative stability of both indigo and orpiment to moisture. However, like most of the colorants used for woodblock printing during the Edo period, both will fade upon prolonged exposure to light.

For additional information see: Indigo, Orpiment

Examples of Indigo + Orpiment in Ukiyo-e Prints

21.5452-pt1-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 1: Printed
Torii Kiyomasu II, 21.5452

11.16479-pt4-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 4: Printed
Suzuki Harunobu, 11.16479

11.19295-pt4-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 4: Printed
Katsukawa Shunshō, 11.19295

11.17946-pt3-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 3: Printed
Keisai Eisen, 11.17946

11.20413-pt7-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 7: Printed
Katsushika Hokusai, 11.20413

11.20417-pt6-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 6: Printed
Katsushika Hokusai, 11.20417

Analysis

Fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) is used to identify indigo and X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is used to detect arsenic (As) and sulfur (S), which is an indication of the presence of orpiment (As2S3). For more information, please see the individual colorant pages, indigo and orpiment.

List of Prints

Below is a list of prints where indigo + orpiment was detected.

Pages in category "Indigo/Orpiment: Ukiyo-e colorant"

The following 59 pages are in this category, out of 59 total.

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