Challenges and Considerations
Dyed wool, dyed silk, prepigment, and organic pigment reference samples prepared with plants known to have been used in China.
Detection and identification of traditional Chinese organic colorants presents a challenge not only because many of the biological sources used to create them have not been well studied but, in the case of organic paints, concentrations of these colorants are relatively low compared with inorganic pigments and binding media. Much less is known of these colorants than of the dye and organic pigment sources used in Europe and the Americas.
Previous work by the Getty Conservation Institute at the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, China, resulted in a wealth of information on the mineral pigments and binding media used in these caves, particularly in Cave 85. Conservators working at the site also identified the use of organic colorants and washes in the caves. Determining specific organic colorants was a greater challenge because the biological sources used to produce the dyes and pigments were frequently unique to the geographic region, and the reference samples required for identification were not available.