Glossary of Ukiyo-e Colorants
Glossary of Colorants
The purpose of the ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock) colorant database is to document the types of colorants that were used in the printing process. In order to do this, we started the research by making reference samples of the known Ukiyo-e colorants by traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques. This database currently focuses on prints from the MFA’s collection especially from 1710-1850. We hope to continue adding to the database but at this moment covers only the colorants found in the above mentioned time frame so does not yet cover the whole breadth of colorants, especially the synthetic one that were added in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Red
The primary organic red colorants used in the prints are: -Safflower -Madder -Sappanwood
Yellow
Orpiment, turmeric and flavonoid yellows (such as pagoda tree, rice plant) are the most commonly used yellow colorants that were easily detected. Gamboge is also likely to have been used but none of the MFA analysis techniques could detect gamboge. Additionally there is literature that points to the potential use of other organic yellows, such as yellowwood, but this has not been found in any of the prints so far.
Of the primary yellows, orpiment (arsenic sulfide) was detected by the X-ray fluorescence analysis. Turmeric and yellowwood both fluoresce very brightly in ultraviolet light and, luckily, give very distinctive EEM spectra (shown below). Some of the other organic yellows, like pagoda tree and rice plant, but fluoresce weakly in ultraviolet light. Chemically, these two compounds are both flavonoids and and only have slight differences in their EEM plots. Thus, the decision was made to call them by their chemical name, Flavonoid, to minimize mistakes in identification.
Blue
Until the introduction of Prussian blue, indigo and dayflower were the only blues used. These blues can easily be identified using FORS. -Indigo -Dayflower -Prussian blue
Green
Green is created as a mixture or overprinting of a blue and yellow. -Indigo/orpiment -Other combinations (List maybe just the common ones and other could be Others)
Purple
Purple is created as a mixture or overprinting of a blue and red/pink. -Safflower/dayflower -Madder/dayflower -Other combinations
Brown
-hematite -red lead -mixtures --faded purple
White
White is often used in a mixture rather than on its own, allowing for the paper to be the “white” -calcium carbonate -white lead
Black/Gray
Carbon black, sumi, or soot from oil lamps or pine soot mixed with animal glue is used to print the key block as well as any other black area. It can range from a deep black to a blue grey color (pine soot).
Mica
description
Metallic
Description