Cinnabar traditions across the ancient Central Andes: insights from the National Museum of the American Indian collections

Young, Michelle Elizabeth; Kaplan, Emily

doi:10.1007/s12520-023-01864-8

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 66 publications

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“…pXRF measurements of details bearing this red-colored resin indicated the presence of mercury, although it is possibly related to the use of calomel, also identified elsewhere on this object, rather than a mercury-based red like vermilion. It is worth noting that, to date, there have only been limited references to the use of vermilion in objects containing mopa mopa resins [31,40,49,50]. Even with the added insights offered by pXRF analysis, it is not possible to identify the nature of these red-colored resins unequivocally.…”

Section: Red Pink and Purplementioning

confidence: 99%

Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto Objects from the Collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library: Materiality and Technology

Basso,

McGeachy,

Mieites Alonso

et al. 2024

Heritage

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The Hispanic Society Museum & Library (HSML) holds a collection of nine viceregal barniz de Pasto objects, made by Indigenous artisans in the 17th and 18th centuries. Designed to imitate Asian lacquers and intended for European aesthetic tastes, barniz de Pasto is an example of Indigenous technique and knowledge that has survived to the present day. An in-depth analysis of five of these barniz de Pasto objects, dated to the first half and last quarter of the 17th century based on their iconography, was carried out through a combination of non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques, including portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectroscopy to investigate the possible presence of inorganic pigments, and fiber-optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) and reflectance imaging spectroscopy (RIS) to provide molecular information on colorants and their distributions across the objects. Dyes and pigments were also identified using Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The nature of the resin was determined by FTIR and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), while the decoration stratigraphy and composition were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). This paper confirms the use of mopa mopa, the resin used in the barniz de Pasto technique, in two objects not previously analyzed, and identifies indigo, insect-based red, calomel, lead white, and an unknown flavonol-based yellow dye, and challenges the use of calomel as a temporal marker for these works. Taken together, these results expand our understanding of the material use and explorations undertaken by artists during this time period to create such elaborate and enduring objects.

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Section: Red Pink and Purplementioning

confidence: 99%

Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto Objects from the Collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library: Materiality and Technology

Basso,

McGeachy,

Mieites Alonso

et al. 2024

Heritage

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The Use of Balances in Late Andean Prehistory (ad 1200–1650)

Dalton

2024

CAJ

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Studies of balances (scales) in Europe, Asia and northern Africa have found that their use is not exclusively tied to state control or market exchange, but rather grew and evolved through interactions among bureaucrats in centralized states, merchants, artisans and local leaders. Research on balances from Andean South America can contribute to an understanding of the diverse roles and functions of balances, as they developed independently in a region where there were both exchange-based and non-market economies. This article includes data on Andean balances that reveal that they were used as early as the Late Intermediate Period (ad 1100–1400), and that there is variation in the characteristics and dimensions of the balances. Similar to other regions, balances in the Andes were likely used by different groups of specialists including merchants, bureaucrats and artisans. To understand how balances were used, they need to be understood alongside long-distance exchange practices, socio-political strategies, the organization of craft production and the possible use of currency.

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Cinnabar traditions across the ancient Central Andes: insights from the National Museum of the American Indian collections

Cited by 2 publications

References 66 publications

Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto Objects from the Collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library: Materiality and Technology

Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto Objects from the Collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library: Materiality and Technology

The Use of Balances in Late Andean Prehistory (ad 1200–1650)

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