The invention of blue and purple pigments in ancient times.
This tutorial review examines manmade blue and purple pigments appearing in antiquity. They were obtained by chemical synthesis from mineral starting materials and refer to chemical compounds: Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10), Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6), Maya Blue (x.indigo.(Mg,Al)4Si8(O,OH,H2O)24) and Ultramarine Blue (Na,Ca)8(AlSiO12)(S, SO4,Cl). The Egyptian and Chinese copper-based pigments are assumed to have been developed independently and are presumably an outcome of the historical developments in glazing techniques. A technology transfer from Egypt into China cannot be fully excluded but, based on the facts acquired up to now, looks less probable.
Berke
Heinz
H
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland. hberke@aci.unizh.ch
D001154:Art / Q000266:history*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D015394:Molecular Structure
D004396:Coloring Agents