Paul Lewing on mon 21 may 12
There's a really cool article in the latest National Geographic about
the Chinese terra cotta warriors. We've all seen pictures of them,
but what we didn't know was that they were originally painted in
really bright colors!. Seems they were coated with lacquer and then
painted and when they were exposed to the air, the paint came off
within a few minutes. Now they've found a way to preserve the paint
as they excavate. The article lists what some of the paints were made
from. Some you'd expect, like charcoal for black and malachite for
green. They used cinnabar for red, and for purple, they mixed that
with something called barium copper silicate.
I'd never heard of this substance, but it sounds like it should be a
ceramic material. It must not be a readily available purple colorant
or people would have been using it all these last 2200 years. Any
idea what it is and how they got it?
Paul Lewing
www.paullewingtile.com
www.paullewingart.com
James Freeman on tue 22 may 12
On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 4:36 PM, Paul Lewing wrote:
for purple, they mixed that
with something called barium copper silicate.
I'd never heard of this substance, but it sounds like it should be a
ceramic material. It must not be a readily available purple colorant
or people would have been using it all these last 2200 years. Any
idea what it is and how they got it?
Paul...
Look up "Han Purple". It is a synthetic pigment, and is closely related to
our own so-called barium purple, barium blue, or purple-aqua glazes. They
basically made a sintered mass of the glaze-like material, then ground it.
If you tried to use it as a glaze colorant and fired higher, it would melt
to a glaze, but the purple color would be lost, kind of like how your china
paint colors can burn out if fired too high, or how an over-fired barium
purple glaze will go ugly blackish greenish.
All the best.
...James
James Freeman
"Talk sense to a fool, and he calls you foolish."
-Euripides
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
Ben Morrison on tue 22 may 12
There are some feldspar deposits in the US containing barium. I have some a=
=3D
ctually, and it does brighten colors as barium does in a glaze. I imagine t=
=3D
hat this would be a barium feldspar that either contained some copper initi=
=3D
ally, or that they added copper to to make the color. =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A-Ben=
=3D0A=3D0A=3D
=3D0A=3D0A________________________________=3D0A From: Paul Lewing @COMCA=3D
ST.NET>=3D0ATo: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG =3D0ASent: Monday, May 21, 2012 1:=
36 P=3D
M=3D0ASubject: terra cotta army & barium copper silicate=3D0A =3D0AThere's =
a real=3D
ly cool article in the latest National Geographic about=3D0Athe Chinese ter=
ra=3D
cotta warriors.=3DA0 We've all seen pictures of them,=3D0Abut what we didn=
't k=3D
now was that they were originally painted in=3D0Areally bright colors!.=3DA=
0 Se=3D
ems they were coated with lacquer and then=3D0Apainted and when they were e=
xp=3D
osed to the air, the paint came off=3D0Awithin a few minutes.=3DA0 Now they=
've =3D
found a way to preserve the paint=3D0Aas they excavate.=3DA0 The article li=
sts =3D
what some of the paints were made=3D0Afrom.=3DA0 Some you'd expect, like ch=
arco=3D
al for black and malachite for=3D0Agreen.=3DA0 They used cinnabar for red, =
and =3D
for purple, they mixed that=3D0Awith something called barium copper silicat=
e.=3D
=3D0AI'd never heard of this substance, but it sounds like it should be a=
=3D0Ac=3D
eramic material.=3DA0 It must not be a readily available purple colorant=3D=
0Aor=3D
people would have been using it all these last 2200 years.=3DA0 Any=3D0Aid=
ea w=3D
hat it is and how they got it?=3D0APaul Lewing=3D0Awww.paullewingtile.com=
=3D0Awww=3D
.paullewingart.com
Bonnie Staffel on wed 23 may 12
I saw this magnificent exploration when I was in China back in the late =3D
70s.
One was not allowed to take photos of the soldiers. It was so quiet in =3D
the
arena that even the click of a camera shutter would probably be heard. =3D
They
had slides to sell and on looking at them recently, they are degrading a =
=3D
lot
in color and sharpness.=3D20
What was amazing about these soldiers was that each had a different face =
=3D
and
uniform. The Chinese are very adept at making plaster molds and I am
assuming that molds were made of the individual soldiers and clay =3D
pressed in
before finishing. As we visited there were girls working on more clay =3D
molds
of the large size statues pressing the clay into the forms. Even in the
repaired soldiers shown in the ground exhibit, there was no discernable
repair scars. There were photos of the colored/painted soldiers in the
lobby. Another surprising thing was to find replicas of African men as
soldiers as well.=3D20
They do not allow any visitors to unfinished excavations with boards =3D
erected
around the site. There were museums showing magnificent relics of =3D
ancient
living situations. Also interesting was their earthquake indicator as a
large vessel with small troughs running alongside of it holding small
marbles. There was another pot indicating the very first numerical =3D
system
consisting of a triangle of dots painted on a ceramic vessel.=3D20
I probably have 100s of slides of some of these things but with so many, =
=3D
it
would take a month of Sundays to find them. When I returned home, I had =3D
them
organized to give talks about our trip, but they were assembled for the
slide projector and then put back in the boxes, no longer correctly
identified. But the trip was unforgettable. The trip was made possible =3D
when
China opened its doors to tourists after Nixon visited China. All tours =3D
were
very tightly orchestrated where at every stop there was a representative =
=3D
to
give the tourists the current policy of the Communist government.=3D20
Regards,
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
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