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Title: Late Roman era German painted shield fragments
Post by: Swampster on September 22, 2019, 07:24:15 PM

Use of vermilion and Egyptian blue on a c.300AD German shield
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/shield-fragment-from-ad300-is-the-oldest-german-panel-painting

Title: Re: Late Roman era German painted shield fragments
Post by: Imperial Dave on September 22, 2019, 07:56:30 PM

Thanks Peter, great find

Title: Re: Late Roman era German painted shield fragments
Post by: Duncan Head on September 23, 2019, 09:31:52 AM

Thanks, Peter, that was interesting.

"Egyptian blue" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_blue) is apparently calcium copper silicate, used as a substitute for lapis lazuli. Must admit when i first saw the article I assumed it was talking abut actual lapis.

Title: Re: Late Roman era German painted shield fragments
Post by: Swampster on September 23, 2019, 05:14:32 PM

Doesn't ~~Pliny~~ Vitruvius* give a detailed explanation of how to make Egyptian blue? Quite an industrial process.

I'm sure I read somewhere that it crops up so often on statues etc. in places that you wouldn't expect to be blue that it seems a) to have been relatively cheap and b) worked as a good undercoat, perhaps adding depth to certain colours rather than just as a smooth surface. Trouble is, I can't find the source of this so may have dreamt it.

*I didn't correct this after reading Duncan's wiki link, honest.

Title: Re: Late Roman era German painted shield fragments
Post by: Duncan Head on September 23, 2019, 06:41:37 PM

There's a suggestion here (p.13) (https://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/kiilerich.pdf)that it was even mixed with madder to obtain purple on a Roman statue.

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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Swampster on September 22, 2019, 07:24:15 PM