Updates on Archaeological Pigments

Roxanne Alipour, Associate Editor for Archaeological Pigments

Over the past 20 years, little by little, studies have surfaced showing that the use of Egyptian blue (CaCuSi4O10), considered the oldest engineering pigment, did not in fact disappear with the fall of the Roman Empire. The studies, along with the 2020 remarkable finding of Egyptian blue in Raphael’s fresco, “The Triumph of Galatea” (Anselmi et al. 2020), have led to the development of a research network called BLUENET. On October 5, 2022, BLUENET researchers from around the world gathered in Rome and also joined remotely to present new findings of Egyptian blue, synthesis techniques, provenance studies, and novel methods of detection. This research collaboration and conference talks are paving the foundation for important studies searching for historical uses of Egyptian blue and answering important questions about its use and synthesis in more ‘modern’ times. Stay tuned for future updates!


More about BLUENET:

https://www.polychromyroundtable.com/resources/Events/BLUENET2022_definitive%20program.pdf

Reference

Anselmi, Chiara, Manuela Vagnini, Claudio Seccaroni, Michela Azzarelli, Tommaso Frizzi, Roberto Alberti, Mallio Falcioni, and Antonio Sgamellotti. "Imaging the antique: unexpected Egyptian blue in Raphael’s Galatea by non-invasive mapping." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 31, no. 4 (2020): 913-917.

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