Rock art pigments from Kimberley region of Western Australia: identification of the minerals and conversion mechanisms

Ford, Bruce; MacLeod, Ian D.; Haydock, Phil

doi:10.1179/sic.1994.39.1.57

Cited by 47 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Huntite and dolomite, Mg-rich carbonates having formula CaMg 3 (CO 3 ) 4 [52]. The attack from polluted water can as well form gypsum CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and the extremely soluble magnesium sulphate MgSO 4 , and calcite.…”

Section: Chalk Pigments [(Camg)co 3 : Natural/artificial Lime Whitementioning

confidence: 99%

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On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

2017

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This review is to be considered part of the development of the MEMORI dosimeter, to evaluate the impact of climate (relative humidity, temperature, illumination, etc., including volatile organic compounds) on moveable objects. In the framework of the MEMORI project, Ghent University was given the task to assess pigment degradation upon acetic acid exposure, and to collect information on pigments' stability. Moreover, to obtain a wider knowledge on the stability of common pigments, the effect of a variety of parameters was reviewed from literature. Discolouration and degradation of pigments significantly alter the legibility of polychrome works of art, so that the development of monitoring methods to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage objects is of primary importance.

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Section: Chalk Pigments [(Camg)co 3 : Natural/artificial Lime Whitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The attack from polluted water can as well form gypsum CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and the extremely soluble magnesium sulphate MgSO 4 , and calcite. The adsorption of water negatively affects the stability of paint layers, as swelling occurs [52].…”

Section: Chalk Pigments [(Camg)co 3 : Natural/artificial Lime Whitementioning

confidence: 99%

On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

2017

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“…Where this notable colour had previously been believed to have such as blood, been produced by the addition of an organic substance in the binding medium, the elemental analysis was able to demonstrate that the colour was, in fact, associated with the presence of the mineral jarosite [KFe 3+ 3 (OH) 6 (SO 4 ) 2 ] which forms as a weathering product to produce mineralised veins within rocks located in the tropical climate of the Kimberley region [10,18]. A more recent analytical approach has been undertaken to understand the composition of the mulberry coloured paintings [18].…”

Section: Rock Art Site Pigment Analysis In Western Australiamentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In an early examination of rock art sites in the Napier Range in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Ford et al [10] focused on the identification of white hued pigments that dominate the palette in this area. Their SEM-EDX and XRD examinations revealed that the major mineral components of the pigments were huntite, whewellite, calcite and dolomite.…”

Section: Rock Art Site Pigment Analysis In Western Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Any weddelite that does form eventually transforms into whewellite in the presence of water as the latter is the more thermodynamically stable form. The oxalate minerals in white paint are believed to be a result of the microbiological alteration of huntite and calcite [10]. The oxalate materials that cover (or lie beneath) rock art have proven to be a source of information about when a painting was produced (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pigment characterisation in Australian rock art: a review of modern instrumental methods of analysis

Stuart

Thomas

2017

Herit Sci

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The many thousands of Aboriginal rock art sites extending across Australia represent an important cultural record. The styles and materials used to produce such art are of great interest to archaeologists and those concerned with the protection of these significant works. Through an analysis of the mineral pigments utilised in Australian rock art, insight into the age of paintings and practices employed by artists can be gained. In recent years, there has been an expansion in the use of modern analytical techniques to investigate rock art pigments and this paper provides a review of the application of such techniques to Australian sites. The types of archaeological information that may be extracted via chemical analysis of specimens collected from or at rock art sites across the country are discussed. A review of the applicability of the techniques used for elemental analysis and structural characterisation of rock art pigments is provided and how future technological developments will influence the discipline is investigated.

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Spatial and compositional variations within finely laminated mineral crusts at Carpenter's Gap, an archaeological site in tropical Australia

et al. 2001

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Mineralogical and geochemical variations in ten rock surface crusts are described from a large rock shelter known as Carpenter's Gap 1 in the southern Kimberley, formed at the junction between a sandstone floor and an overlying limestone roof. The finely laminated crusts, containing quartz, clays, oxalate and phosphate minerals, and sulfate salts (bassanite, gypsum, epsomite), formed over quartz-rich sandstones. Mineralogical analyses of crusts, determined by X-ray diffraction, and major element geochemical trends, in the form of element maps of cross sections, show a complex distribution of hemi-, mono-, and dihydrated sulfate and oxalate minerals vertically and laterally within the shelter. These mineralogical changes have occurred under fluctuating moisture and temperature regimes, which follow a general drying trend spatially with distance from the back wall and temporally over a period of about 20,000 years. Documenting these mineralogical changes is a first step in understanding the nature of microclimatic controls on the formation of rock surface coatings in shelters and their implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and for dating engravings covered by these crusts. ᭧

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Rock art pigments from Kimberley region of Western Australia: identification of the minerals and conversion mechanisms

Cited by 47 publications

References 5 publications

On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

On the stability of mediaeval inorganic pigments: a literature review of the effect of climate, material selection, biological activity, analysis and conservation treatments

Pigment characterisation in Australian rock art: a review of modern instrumental methods of analysis

Spatial and compositional variations within finely laminated mineral crusts at Carpenter's Gap, an archaeological site in tropical Australia

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