Punic wax
Revision as of 12:24, 27 April 2013 by (username removed)
Description
A processed beeswax that was used in encaustic paintings. Punic wax wax probably made by combining beeswax with lime soda lime to produce a waxy soap. Repeated washings in hot water removed any excess caustic. Experiments conducted in Berlin to recreate an ancient recipe, yielded flakes of a hard brittle wax that melted between 73-75C (163-167F) (Wehlte 1975).
Synonyms and Related Terms
cera pnica (Esp.); cera punica (It); Carthagian wax; eleodoric wax
Additional Information
R.White "The Application of Gas-Chromatography to the Identification of Waxes", Studies in Conservation, 23:57-68, 1978. K.Wehlte, The Materials and Techniques of Painting, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1975.
Authority
- Ralph Mayer, Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Kurt Wehlte, Kurt Wehlte, The Materials and Techniques of Painting, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1975
- Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000