Analyzing ancient Chinese handmade Lajian paper exhibiting an orange-red color

Abstract

The ancient technique employed to produce Lajian paper-a very famous Chinese traditional handmade paperhas been lost. However, widespread restoration of the traditional skills used in the paper's production is emerging in China. A small piece of orange-red Lajian paper dating from the Qing dynasty and decorated with flecked Ag and Au was chosen as the subject of this study to investigate the paper's composition and structure using optical microscopy (OM), SEM-EDS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy. The results revealed that the raw materials constituting the Lajian paper were bast and bamboo fibers. Each of the two paper layers was treated differently. First, the upper orange-red layer was treated with kaolinite and organic turmeric. Next, inorganic minium nt was used to obtain an orange-red color. Animal glue was used as a binding medium. Finally, the dyed surface was waxed with Chinese insect wax and then polished with small stones to form a smooth coating. The same treatment, except for the intentional use of inorganic pigment, was applied to the backing layer. Turmeric dye, minium, and wax coating protected Lajian paper from humidity and mold growth while maintaining the stability of the paper.

Applying micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and Raman spectroscopy for non-invasive characterization of coating and coating pigments on ancient Chinese papers

“…Based on the findings of the present study, we can describe the general procedures used in the manufacture of ancient coated papers such as Lajian and Lengjinjian: chosen (dyed) papers were first coated by having finely ground powder of inorganic substances (e.g., lead white and kaolin) brushed over one or both sides of the paper; then, pigments prepared from inorganic materials such as red lead and cinnabar, alone or mixed with organic dyes extracted from natural plants (such as gamboge, kermesic acid, and purpurin), were brushed over the surface of the paper, for the purpose of dyeing or coloring; finally, waxy materials (for example, beeswax) were applied to the paper to form a waterproof layer. Similar procedures have been described elsewhere, in technical studies of ancient Lajian papers [46], as well as in experimental studies on the manufacture of modern Lajian papers [51]. What is new about the present study, however, is that it shows, even with a small sampling, the complexity and diversity in the use of materials for manufacturing Lajian papers.…”

“…[40] 1324 AD Buddhist scripts Indet. [41] 1368 11th-13th century AD Buddhist scripts Chalk, talcum powder [24] 1809-1872 AD Documents Kaolin, talcum powder [43] 1900s Documents Chalk [44,45] 1644-1911 AD Documents Kaolin [46,47] 1644-1911 AD Screen wallpaper Kaolin, chalk [48] AAS 400-900 AD Documents Gypsum [22] Raman 1890s Paper currencies Chalk [28,29] After 1830s Paintings Gypsum [29, pp. 128-131] XRD 94 BC-420 AD Documents Talcum powder [31] 1271-1644 AD Buddhist scripts Chalk, kaolin [30] a coating layer was present, that any such layer present was applied in a specific way, or that some exact mineral was used as its coating pigment [29,50].…”

“…145-146]. Not until very recently did technical and experimental studies start to shed light on the manufacture of Lajian in the Qing Dynasty, confirming a variety and complexity in the manufacturing techniques utilized [46,47,52,53]. Lengjinjian manufacture used many of the same techniques (dyeing, coating, and waxing) employed in the production of Lajian; to an extent, Lengjinjian was a variant of Lajian.…”

Pigments—Lead-based whites, reds, yellows and oranges and their alteration phases

“…Among other organic binders, animal glues have been frequently attested, especially in Chinese and Japanese paintings (Gettens et al 1967;Wei et al 2010;Liu et al 2016;Luo et al 2019) and on wooden supports (Arjonilla et al 2019a;Abdallah et al 2020;Abdel-Maksoud et al 2020).…”

Deterioration of Contemporary Kaihua Handmade Paper: Evolution of Molecular, Supermolecular and Macroscopic Structures

“…Traditional handmade paper, as an important carrier of inheriting human civilization, is featured excellent performance of its durability (Hubbe and Bowden 2009; Jeong et al 2014a,b; Luo et al 2019). It enjoys a great reputation as the king of paper that could last for more than 1000 years (Luo et al 2021;Tang et al 2017).…”