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Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the...
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Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the Artists' Pigments: From the Lascaux Cave Paintings to Modern Art

A special issue of Colorants (ISSN 2079-6447).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 12642

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vittoria Guglielmi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: spectroscopy; imaging; chemometrics and artificial intelligence applied to the study of cultural heritage and environmental issues
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the artist works meticulously on their painting, in the same way, the scientist applies their expertise to the thorough research of the chemical and physical properties of pigments and dyes and their identification in artwork. Analytical and spectroscopic techniques, especially the non-destructive and/or portable ones, might be considered a breakthrough in the characterisation of the artists’ palette.

This Special Issue will show the value of the contribution of instrumental analytical techniques applied to the study of pigments and colorants in the scope of the comprehension of works of art, their intrinsic value, and their importance in the history of human culture.

Dr. Guglielmi Vittoria
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Colorants is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pigments
  • dyes
  • natural substances
  • synthesis
  • spectroscopy
  • microscopy
  • X-ray
  • chromatography
  • archaeometry

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 48454 KiB  
Article
Printing with tonalli: Reproducing Featherwork from Precolonial Mexico Using Structural Colorants
by Abigail Trujillo-Vazquez, Fereshteh Abedini, Alina Pranovich, Carinna Parraman and Susanne Klein
Colorants 2023, 2(4), 632-653; https://doi.org/10.3390/colorants2040033 - 29 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1809
Abstract
Two of the most significant cases of extant 16th-century featherwork from Mexico are the so-called Moctezuma’s headdress and the Ahuizotl shield. While the feathers used in these artworks exhibit lightfast colors, their assembly comprises mainly organic materials, which makes them extremely fragile. Printed [...] Read more.
Two of the most significant cases of extant 16th-century featherwork from Mexico are the so-called Moctezuma’s headdress and the Ahuizotl shield. While the feathers used in these artworks exhibit lightfast colors, their assembly comprises mainly organic materials, which makes them extremely fragile. Printed media, including books, catalogs, educational materials, and fine copies, offer an accessible means for audiences to document and disseminate visual aspects of delicate cultural artifacts without risking their integrity. Nevertheless, the singular brightness and iridescent colors of feathers are difficult to communicate to the viewer in printed reproductions when traditional pigments are used. This research explores the use of effect pigments (multilayered reflective structures) and improved halftoning techniques for additive printing, with the objective of enhancing the reproduction of featherwork by capturing its changing color and improving texture representation via a screen printing process. The reproduced images of featherwork exhibit significant perceptual resemblances to the originals, primarily owing to the shared presence of structural coloration. We applied structure-aware halftoning to better represent the textural qualities of feathers without compromising the performance of effect pigments in the screen printing method. Our prints show angle-dependent color, although their gamut is reduced. The novelty of this work lies in the refinement of techniques for printing full-color images by additive printing, which can enhance the 2D representation of the appearance of culturally significant artifacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the Artists' Pigments: From the Lascaux Cave Paintings to Modern Art)
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17 pages, 2974 KiB  
Article
What’s the Madder? Characterization of Old Fashioned Alizarin/Aluminum Red Pigments Using Liquid and Solid-State NMR
by Leonel C. Silva, Vanessa Otero, Maria J. Melo, Eurico J. Cabrita and Luís Mafra
Colorants 2023, 2(4), 601-617; https://doi.org/10.3390/colorants2040031 - 30 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1936
Abstract
This work provides significant insight into the molecular structure of alizarin lake pigments used by artists in the past. To characterize two red powders, lakes 1 and 2, obtained by complexation of 1,2-dihydroxy anthraquinone (alizarin) with Al3+, a multi-analytical approach [...] Read more.
This work provides significant insight into the molecular structure of alizarin lake pigments used by artists in the past. To characterize two red powders, lakes 1 and 2, obtained by complexation of 1,2-dihydroxy anthraquinone (alizarin) with Al3+, a multi-analytical approach was designed based on solid and liquid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Lake 1 was synthesized according to literature and compared with lake 2, a reproduction of an artist’s pigment. FTIR showed Al3+ coordinated to oxygens in C1 and C9, and that in lake 2 the -OH groups in C2 are protonated, being responsible for its low solubility. 1H-NMR proved that lake 2 is formed by two tautomers [Al(Aliz-2-H-)2(OH)(H2O)] and [Al(Aliz-10-H-)2(OH)(H2O)], the latter being the major species. SS-NMR was the only technique that got insight into the Al3+ coordination, octahedral for both lakes. It confirmed the existence of two species in lake 2, in a 5:1 ratio. Both are amorphous “open structures”, resulting in fewer constraints for the ligands and in a large variety of geometries. SS-NMR allowed the analysis of the red pigments without preparation, which is a unique advantage for their study in artworks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the Artists' Pigments: From the Lascaux Cave Paintings to Modern Art)
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16 pages, 2554 KiB  
Article
Non-Invasive On-Site pXRF Analysis of Coloring Agents of Under- and Over-Glazes: Variability and Representativity of Measurements on Porcelain
by Jacques Burlot, Xavier Gallet, Gulsu Simsek Franci, Ludovic Bellot-Gurlet and Philippe Colomban
Colorants 2023, 2(1), 42-57; https://doi.org/10.3390/colorants2010004 - 1 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2347
Abstract
The study of rare objects requires the use of mobile non-invasive methods such as a portable X-ray fluorescence instrument (pXRF), but this involves an analysis from the outer surface, while the depth analyzed depends on the element measured and, in addition, the material [...] Read more.
The study of rare objects requires the use of mobile non-invasive methods such as a portable X-ray fluorescence instrument (pXRF), but this involves an analysis from the outer surface, while the depth analyzed depends on the element measured and, in addition, the material can be very heterogeneous at different scales. The concept of elemental composition, therefore, has no “absolute” meaning for painted enamel decorations. This work evaluates this concept by comparing the pXRF measurements made with different configuration procedures, allowing to evaluate the consequences on the variability of the XRF signals, and discusses the contents of certain chemical elements. For this, two shards from the Qianlong period are analyzed, a shard of blue and white (underglazed) porcelain and a fragment of an ‘imperial’ bowl with painted enamel decoration (huafalang). The variability of measurements is compared for visually appearing homogeneous or heterogeneous areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the Artists' Pigments: From the Lascaux Cave Paintings to Modern Art)
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Graphical abstract

21 pages, 4155 KiB  
Article
Andy Warhol and His Amazing Technicolor Shoes: Characterizing the Synthetic Dyes Found in Dr. Ph. Martin’s Synchromatic Transparent Watercolors and Used in À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu
by Abed Haddad, Toni Nakie-Miller, Josephine Brilliant Jenks and Glen Kowach
Colorants 2023, 2(1), 1-21; https://doi.org/10.3390/colorants2010001 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2896
Abstract
Synthetic organic dyes were extensively used by artists in the first half of the 20th century, knowingly or otherwise. This included Andy Warhol and his À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu (c. 1955), a major portfolio of hand-colored prints, a copy of which [...] Read more.
Synthetic organic dyes were extensively used by artists in the first half of the 20th century, knowingly or otherwise. This included Andy Warhol and his À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu (c. 1955), a major portfolio of hand-colored prints, a copy of which resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Warhol and his friends were known to use Dr. Ph. Martin’s Synchromatic Transparent Water Colors to bring these prints to life. A historical set of Synchromatic Transparent Watercolors were initially investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy, and samples from the historic set were also characterized by µ-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for fingerprint identification. To better elucidate the nature of the mixtures present, thin-layer chromatography was coupled with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to separate the components of all colorants in the set. The dyes decisively identified include Acid Red 73, Acid Red 87, Acid Red 17, Acid Red 103, Basic Red 1, Acid Orange 7, Acid Yellow 23, Acid Green 1, Basic Green 4, Acid Blue 3, Acid Blue 93, Basic Violet 3, Basic Violet 10, Basic Violet 17, and Acid Black 2. Overall, Acid Blue 3, along with Acid Orange 7 and Acid Black 2, were found in the greatest number of dyes in the Dr. Ph. Martin’s set. Data from the historic set was subsequently used for direct comparison with reflectance spectra from the Warhol portfolio using principal component analysis. Microfade testing on a Synchromatic Transparent Watercolors brochure was also conducted to identify fugitive colorants, the results of which were extrapolated to each of the prints in the Warhol portfolio. The analysis provided further insight into the dyes used in À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu and confirmed the extreme light sensitivity of some colorants and the fastness of others. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the Artists' Pigments: From the Lascaux Cave Paintings to Modern Art)
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13 pages, 6713 KiB  
Article
Pigments and Inks Applied in Juan Vespucci’s Portolan Chart (1520)
by Anabelle Kriznar, Francisco Ager, Luis Robles Macías, Inés Ortega Feliu, Blanca Gómez Tubío and Miguel Ángel Respaldiza
Colorants 2022, 1(4), 411-423; https://doi.org/10.3390/colorants1040026 - 7 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2355
Abstract
Not many manuscript maps have been the object of material analysis so far. A portolan chart, signed and dated by Juan Vespucci in 1520, was studied in this research, conserved at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville (Spain). It is made on [...] Read more.
Not many manuscript maps have been the object of material analysis so far. A portolan chart, signed and dated by Juan Vespucci in 1520, was studied in this research, conserved at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville (Spain). It is made on parchment and depicts the coasts and islands of Europe and Africa. It is the oldest portolan chart made in Seville, being unusual in applying hand stamp for decorative figures. The map was analysed by different non-invasive techniques: infra-red and ultraviolet light, digital microscope and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The main goals of this study were to identify the materials used, as well as to detect retouching or restoration work. Results showed that the entire parchment was first covered with a white layer made of lead white (Pb), calcite or gypsum (Ca). The principal pigments used were vermilion (Hg), yellow ochre (Fe), azurite (Cu) and a copper-based green pigment (Cu) and carbon black. The letters were probably written with an iron-gall ink (Fe, Cu). Very thin golden leaves were applied on a mixtion glue for gilded wind roses. Several retouches from the 19th/20th centuries were found using zinc and titanium whites and probably cobalt blue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traversing the History of Humanity Through the Study of the Artists' Pigments: From the Lascaux Cave Paintings to Modern Art)
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