Journal of Conservation Science (보존과학회지)

The Korean Society Of Conservation Science For Cultural Heritage (한국문화재보존과학회)
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Investigating the Colour Difference of Old and New Blue Japanese Glass Pigments for Artistic Use

  • Chua, Lynn (Heritage Conservation Centre, National Heritage Board) ;
  • Quan, Seah Zi (Heritage Conservation Centre, National Heritage Board) ;
  • Yan, Gao (Shaanxi Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage) ;
  • Yoo, Woo Sik (WaferMasters, Inc.)
  • Received : 2021.12.03
  • Accepted : 2021.12.23
  • Published : 2022.02.20
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Abstract

Colour consistency is an important consideration when selecting pigments used on works of art. In this study, we analyse the colour difference between two sets of synthetic blue glass pigments acquired at least 8 years apart from the same manufacturer in Japan. The old pigment set (unused, dry powder with four different grain sizes) appears faded compared to the new set. These pigments are made available for artistic use, commonly in Nihonga or Japanese paintings. Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS results characterize these pigments as cobalt aluminate spinels dissolved in leaded glaze, a special class of complex coloured inorganic pigments that is not well-understood in the field of conservation. Colour difference between the old and new pigments with four different grain sizes were quantified by analysing photomicrographs with image analysis software. Blue pigments with coarse and extremely fine grains showed significant colour change compared to pigments with medium and fine grain sizes. The high occurrence of crystallites in the finer grains give a final colour that is bluer and lighter. Possible causes for the colour difference including manufacturing methods and storage environment are discussed.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to Bodil Unckel, HCC Objects Conservator, for sourcing the new pigment set, and Claire Lim, Paintings Conservator from The Conservation Studio (Singapore) for providence of the old pigment set to the HCC. We would also like to thank Claire L. Hoevel, Senior Conservator of Paper from the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields, for providing provenance information and physical samples of blue Japanese pigments that helped further our understanding of such spinel-based glazed pigments (note: data is unpublished and beyond the scope of this study) and for reviewing our paper. Lastly, the current study arises as a spin-off from a larger project on "Blue Pigment Reference Analytical Database", a collaboration between the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC) and Shaanxi Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (SIPCH) in 2017-2021, spearheaded by Zhou Ping, Head of Conservation, SIPCH.

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