Punic wax
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Description
A processed beeswax that was used in encaustic paintings. Punic wax wax probably made by combining beeswax with 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 púnica (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.
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- 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