Brass: Ukiyo-e colorant

From CAMEO
Revision as of 13:09, 27 October 2024 by MDerrick (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Actors Matsushima Hyôtarô... by Okumura Toshinobu

Brass 真鍮 (shinchū): Brass is an alloy of Copper and Zinc. During the Edo period, brass was made with domestic copper and imported zinc from China.

Flakes or powdered metallics are often found in deluxe editions and surimono prints (摺物). Animal glue (膠 nikawa) was commonly used to adhere the powder to the paper's surface or as a binder when printed. The use of affordable metals such as brass and tin were likely meant to imitate the glittering effects created by the use of expensive metal leaf or flakes such as gold and silver on screen and scroll paintings.

Brass flakes are found in early prints as well as in deluxe editions. Printed brass is often seen in surimono prints. Different tones of brass could be created by manipulating the proportion of copper and zinc.

For additional information see: Brass


Examples of Brass in Ukiyo-e Prints

11.13225-pt2-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 2: Brass flakes
Okumura Toshinobu, 11.13225

58.343-pt-detail.png

Indigo FORS.JPG
Pt 4: Brass flakes
Torii Kiyomasu II, 58.343

11.13344-pt6-detail.png

1113344-Pt6-XRF.jpg
Pt 6: Brass flakes
Okumura Masanobu, 11.13344

11.20034-pt3-detail.png

1120034 Pt 3 XRF.jpg
Pt 3: Printed
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai, 11.20034

11.25669-pt6-detail.png

1125669 Pt 6 XRF.jpg
Pt 2: Printed
Keisai Eisen, 11.25669

00.1949-pt5-detail.png

001949 Pt5 XRF.jpg
Pt 5: Printed
Katsushika Hokusai, 00.1949

Analysis

X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is used to detect copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), which is an indication for the presence of brass.

Images of Brass

List of Prints

Below is a list of prints where brass was detected.