In situ investigation of Chinese export watercolours in the nineteenth century: pigments and dyes

Chinese export watercolours were produced for the export market in the southeastern part of China during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These hand-painted images were produced in large numbers with a variety of water-based opaque colours on paper. Pigment analysis was carried out on 37 painted areas of selected works from a private collection using a range of techniques, including micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (mu XRF), FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. These analytical results provide the first in-depth measurements of the painting materials by the techniques on these export artworks. Several pigments were identified conclusively by the analyses-barium white, lead white, Prussian blue, ultramarine, emerald green, Hooker's Green, gamboge and red lead. Results also suggest that violet tint, purple and red dyes might be present.