Metamerism

Description

The ability of a two materials to appear identical in one type of light, such as daylight, but different under other lighting conditions, such as incandescent. Metamerism is usually considered undesirable, because it makes it difficult to accurately match colors. Color metamerism can be caused by a materials pigment or dye composition as well as by its surface texture and reflectivity.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Metamerie (Deut.); métamérisme (Fr.)

Physical and Chemical Properties

The absorption spectra are different for two metameric compounds.

Resources and Citations

• S.Staniforth, "Retouching and Colour Matching: The Restorer and Metamerism" Studies in Conservation, 30:101-11, 1985.

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamerism_%28color%29 (Accessed Feb. 25, 2006)