Concealed Blue Pigment Discovered In Ancient Mummy Portraits
A collection of fifteen Egyptian mummy paintings collecting dust for nearly one-hundred years, is now aiding scientists and art conservators from Northwestern University to discover how materials were used by ancient artists. Previously, researchers believed ancient painters to apply Egyptian blue only for special occasions. The color was the first ever man-made blue pigment, it took effort to manufacture. Surprisingly researchers found five of the fifteen paintings contained the pigment underneath the other colors, hidden from the naked eye. Egyptian blue was used for under drawings and for color modulation, meaning it was laid down first only to be used later in the painting process.
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Funding for this data processing could have not been possible without the help of the conservation science division at the Hearst Museum. "Working with the Northwestern University-Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS) made a comprehensive technical survey of the paintings possible" (Fellman). Walton and his team brought in specialists in scientific analysis of cultural heritage materials, as well as the latest technology in non-destructive analysis to the Hearst Museum. The use of blue for sketches changes our views on the availability of Egyptian blue during the Roman period. It suggests the pigment to be so abundant that it was used instead of carbon black or chalk, which were much cheaper pigments. Researchers speculate the blue has a reflective shine to it, that glistens when hit by light. The exploitation of this property of color could explain why it is hidden from first