The Occurrence and Alteration of Realgar on Ancient Egyptian Papyri

Daniels, Vincent; Leach, Bridget

doi:10.1179/sic.2004.49.2.73

Cited by 39 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…It has a polymorphic photodegradation product, pararealgar As 4 S 4 . Permanence of arsenic sulphide pigments is problematic, especially on exposure to the green region of the visible spectrum [174,180]. Moreover, smaller particles are more readily degraded [174].…”

Section: Arsenic (Z = 33)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Permanence of arsenic sulphide pigments is problematic, especially on exposure to the green region of the visible spectrum [174,180]. Moreover, smaller particles are more readily degraded [174]. The sensitivity to green light has to be taken into account when lasers need to be used, such as during Raman spectroscopic analysis [177,181,182].…”

Section: Arsenic (Z = 33)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Orpiment and realgar were highly appreciated especially in Egypt and China for their rich yellow and red-orange shades [1,[170][171][172][173][174], even though the pigments were considered "unpleasant" by many artists, and not recommended to use in combination with copper and lead based pigments, such as verdigris and leadwhite [1,30,170]. Orpiment and realgar exist as minerals, as well as synthetic pigments [175], and of the two arsenic sulphide pigments, the first one is the most stable.…”

Section: Arsenic (Z = 33)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

2017

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This review is to be considered part of the development of the MEMORI dosimeter, to evaluate the impact of climate (relative humidity, temperature, illumination, etc., including volatile organic compounds) on moveable objects. In the framework of the MEMORI project, Ghent University was given the task to assess pigment degradation upon acetic acid exposure, and to collect information on pigments' stability. Moreover, to obtain a wider knowledge on the stability of common pigments, the effect of a variety of parameters was reviewed from literature. Discolouration and degradation of pigments significantly alter the legibility of polychrome works of art, so that the development of monitoring methods to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage objects is of primary importance.

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Section: Arsenic (Z = 33)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Arsenic (Z = 33)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Arsenic (Z = 33)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

2017

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“…This apparent stability of arsenic sulfide, a pigment notorious for its instability, seemed rather uncommon. The light-induced degradation process of arsenic sulfide transforms it from bright yellow arsenic sulfide (As 2 S 3 ) to white/transparent arsenic trioxide (As 2 O 3 ) [12][13][14]. This phenomenon of fading seems to be a surface alteration, the lower part of the paint system being unaffected [15].…”

Section: Introduction and Historical Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of artificial orpiment in the interior decorations of the Japanese tower in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium

2015

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In this paper, we used a multi-technique approach in order to identify the arsenic sulfide pigment used in the decorative panels of the Japanese tower in Laeken, Belgium. Our attention was drawn to this particular pigment because of its relatively good conservation state, despite its known tendency to fade over time when exposed to light. The pigment was used with different painting techniques, bound with oil and urushi in the lacquers and with an aqueous binder in the mat relief panels. In the latter case it is always applied as an underlayer mixed with ultramarine blue. This quite unusual pigment mixture also shows a good state of preservation. In this study, the orpiment used for the Japanese tower has been identified as an amorphous arsenic sulfide glass (As x S x ) with the aid of light microscopy, PLM, SEM-EDX and Raman microscopy. The pigment features different degrees of As 4 S 4 monomer units in its structure, also known as realgar-like nano-phases. This most likely indicates different synthesis processes as the formation of these As 4 S 4 monomers is dependent of the quenching temperature (Tq) to which the artificial pigment is exposed during the preparation phase.

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“…In the past, many research papers have been published on ancient Egyptian painting, and based their methodology on the style or iconography of these paintings. In the past, several technical examinations, including Raman spectroscopy, have been applied on antique Egyptian objects, usually in a museum context [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. The current research paper reports on the first extensive in situ archaeometric survey of ancient Egyptian tomb painting with the goal of ascertaining their materials, transformations and artistic techniques.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-disciplinary investigation of the tomb of Menna (TT69), Theban Necropolis, Egypt

Vandenabeele

García-Moreno

Mathis

et al. 2009

Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectros

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The Occurrence and Alteration of Realgar on Ancient Egyptian Papyri

Cited by 39 publications

References 7 publications

On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

Identification of artificial orpiment in the interior decorations of the Japanese tower in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium

Multi-disciplinary investigation of the tomb of Menna (TT69), Theban Necropolis, Egypt

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