Painting, ancient

A specific feature of the CEMS technique is the possibility for nondestructive testing of the surface composition of paintings, ancient coins, and pottery or other valuable objects. Wagner et al. [445] have investigated Celtic gold coins (from the time period 480-15 b.c.) and have shown that the surface of the coins consist of two phases, one of which is strongly eiuiched in gold compared to the bulk composition. 

Besides the extraterrestrial application of MIMOS, there are a number of terrestrial applications, such as the investigation of rock paintings, ancient artifacts, and enviromnental science, where the instrument has been applied successfully. 

Organic blues, reds, and yellows were widely used in manuscript painting Ancient pigment naturally occurring in many places... 

In the eadiest known paintings, the primitive cave paintings, paint was appHed directly onto the cave wall, with tittle or no preparation. As early as the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt, however, wall surfaces were specially prepared using a coating of plaster. In time, the refinement and complexity of the preparation layers increased until in the Renaissance several layers of different composition and fineness were superimposed. Other preparations used, especially in the Far East, consisted of a clay layer. 

The use of the various tempera and of wax has been identified on objects dating back to ancient Egypt. The Eayum mummy portraits are beautiful examples of encaustic painting, ie, using molten wax as medium. A rather special variation was the technique used by the Romans for wall paintings. In these, the medium, referred to by Pliny as Punic wax, probably consisted of partially saponified wax. In Europe, wax ceased to be used by the ninth century. 

Tin [7440-31 -5] is one of the world s most ancient metals. When and where it was discovered is uncertain, but evidence points to tin being used in 3200—3500 BC. Ancient bron2e weapons and tools found in Ur contained 10—15 wt % tin. In 79 ad, Pliny described an alloy of tin and lead now commonly called solder (see Solders and brazing alloys). The Romans used tinned copper vessels, but tinned iron vessels did not appear until the fourteenth century in Bohemia. Tinned sheet for metal containers and tole (painted) ware made its appearance in England and Saxony about the middle of the seventeenth century. Although tinplate was not manufactured in the United States until the early nineteenth century, production increased rapidly and soon outstripped that in all other countries (1). 

Rock Paintings in the Field. The manufacturing and composition of paints from prehistoric periods are of great archaeological interest because it is possible to deduce aspects of the ancient cultures based on their abilities to produce works of arts. Many pigments used in ancient paintings are iron-based compounds. In most... 

Flamel, Nicholas. Hieroglyphicall figures which he caused to be painted upon an Arch in St. Innocents Church Yard in Paris Concerning both the theory and practise of the Philosophers Stone (1624). Contained in this very rare book is the symbolism and allusions to the inner meanings contained within the powerful symbols that yielded their ancient secrets to Flammel. Introduction by W.W. Westcott. Nicolas Flammel. rhttp //shop.ebrarv,com/1. 1995. 

The Alchemy Journal is a free quarterly email magazine devoted to the ancient art of transformation. Each issue contains articles, color paintings, graphic illustrations, original alchemy texts, laboratory notes and experiments, sources and resources, interviews, breaking news, book and website reviews, current lectures and workshops, editorials, and more ... 

Rosin. Rosin resin, also known as colophony, is collected from one of over 100 different types of trees that grow throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and New Zealand. The term colophony seems to derive from the ancient city of Colophon, in Lydia, which produced a high-quality resin. Rosin is drawn directly from living trees in a tapping process that entails inducing outflow of the resin from the trees. Rosin has been used as an adhesive and size and in the preparation of paints. 

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