An early man-made blue pigment from China—barium copper silicate

1983/02/01 by Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Lynda A. Zycherman · 4 citations
Arts and Humanities · Chemistry · #Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis #Pigment Synthesis and Properties

paper · doi:10.1179/sic.1983.28.1.15

crossref issued 1983/02/01 · crossref published 1983/02/01 · crossref published-print 1983/02/01 · openalex publication_date 1983/02/01 · crossref published-online 2013/07/19 · crossref created 2014/01/09 · crossref deposited 2016/12/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02

Abstract

Barium copper silicate, BaCuSi4O10, an artificially produced mineral, has been identified on Chinese painted ceramic objects attributed to the Han dynasty (208 Bc–220 AD). The mineral has also been observed as an important component in octagonal sticks probably dating to the Warring States period (475–221 BC) or to the Han dynasty. This man-made mineral has been hitherto unreported as a pigment in the ancient Chinese palette.

Cited by

• A purple barium copper silicate pigment from early China
• Influence of Taoism on the invention of the purple pigment used on the Qin terracotta warriors
• Mineral Pigments in Archaeology: Their Analysis and the Range of Available Materials
• Elisabeth West FitzHugh [wikipedia]