Investigating the Colour Difference of Old and New Blue Japanese Glass Pigments for Artistic Use

Colour consistency is an important consideration when selecting pigments used on works of art. In this study, we analyse the colour difference between two sets of synthetic blue glass pigments acquired at least 8 years apart from the same manufacturer in Japan. The old pigment set (unused, dry powder with four different grain sizes) appears faded compared to the new set. These pigments are made available for artistic use, commonly in Nihonga or Japanese paintings. Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS results characterize these pigments as cobalt aluminate spinels dissolved in leaded glaze, a special class of complex coloured inorganic pigments that is not well-understood in the field of conservation. Colour difference between the old and new pigments with four different grain sizes were quantified by analysing photomicrographs with image analysis software. Blue pigments with coarse and extremely fine grains showed significant colour change compared to pigments with medium and fine grain sizes. The high occurrence of crystallites in the finer grains give a final colour that is bluer and lighter. Possible causes for the colour difference including manufacturing methods and storage environment are discussed.