History of Pigments (from the 18th century to the present day)

This virtual seminar (the second in a series* of 4 virtual seminars on the History and Identification of Pigments to be offered in October) discusses the pigments used in painting from the early 18th century onwards, introducing their chemistries, production methods and dates of use. The palettes used during this time period will be divided into 18th, 19th, early 20th and 20th/21st centuries, with the continuation of the use of natural pigments such as ochres, carbon blacks, chalk and cinnabar included, and the introduction of further synthetic pigments such as zinc white, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, Scheele’s green, chrome yellow, titanium white, azo reds & phthalocyanine blue described.

(The history of pigments until the 18th century will be discussed in an IAP Virtual seminar on 2nd October, and seminars on 16th and 23rd October will discuss the Identification of Pigments).

*This series of seminars is intended to appeal to all conservators and others who would like to refresh their knowledge on the subject and also to students of conservation.

Tracey Chaplin is an Independent Scientific Consult specialising in analysis and identification of artists’ materials and their degradation products on objects such as paintings, sculpture, furniture, manuscripts, wallpaper, textiles and architectural elements. This includes the application of microscopy, cross-sectional analysis, spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray fluorescence and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Tracey lectures in conservation science at the City and Guilds of London Art School, has published extensively and is one of four authors of The Pigment Compendium.