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Published on: April 24, 2014
Mansfieldite (AlAsO4·2H2O): a new white pigment in Himalayan artwork
Gregory Dale Smith1, Claire L Hoevel1, Patrick D Cavanagh1,2
1Indianapolis Museum of Art, Collections Care Division, 4000 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA. gdsmith@discovernewfields.org.
Abstract:
An unusual arsenate mineral, mansfieldite (AlAsO4·2H2O), was identified as a pigment for the first time as the principal white colorant on two Himalayan thangka paintings at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. The co-occurrence of this unusual mineral pigment provides support for the belief that the two artworks are members of a cycle of paintings originating from the same workshop, perhaps from Chamdo, Tibet. The complete palettes of both artworks are identical, including the use of mansfieldite, brochantite, malachite, azurite, vermilion, gold, orpiment, and a carbon-based black in a glue binder on a calcite and gypsum-primed cotton fabric.
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