Punic wax

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

Resources and Citations

• R.White "The Application of Gas-Chromatography to the Identification of Waxes", Studies in Conservation, 23:57-68, 1978.

• 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, https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000