Editor in Chief Bill | 10 Jan 2019 1:37 p.m. PST |
Vivid flecks of blue discovered in the teeth of a 1,000-year-old skeleton from the medieval era have given scientists a rare glimpse into an ancient woman's past… link |
GurKhan | 10 Jan 2019 1:49 p.m. PST |
I did feel a frisson of recognition when I read that story (well, the BBC's version at link ). But who uses lapis lazuli on their figures? |
sillypoint | 10 Jan 2019 2:18 p.m. PST |
Its contemporary equivalent "ultramarine"- |
Zephyr1 | 10 Jan 2019 3:18 p.m. PST |
Chewing gum was blue back then… |
jhancock | 10 Jan 2019 5:37 p.m. PST |
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The Last Conformist | 10 Jan 2019 10:48 p.m. PST |
I confess I was expecting something about the Radium Girls: link |
Benvartok | 10 Jan 2019 11:59 p.m. PST |
I have picked up my paint water jar instead of my tea but stopped in time…… |
Dexter Ward | 11 Jan 2019 3:37 a.m. PST |
The article talks about the weird habit of licking your brush. Nothing weird about it; best way to get a good point, and its nice to know that hasn't changed in the last 1000 years or so. |
Garryowen | 11 Jan 2019 7:10 a.m. PST |
The legendary painter and sculptor Shep Paine advocated that after cleaning your brush, and before putting it away, dunk it in warm soapy water. Then put it between your lips and turn it. Not quite licking, but similar. He also said don't bother to lick a point of a brush when selecting one to purchase. Doesn't prove anything about the point of the brush when it comes to painting with it. He jokingly said you could lick a house painting brush to a point. Tom Tom |
14Bore | 11 Jan 2019 12:47 p.m. PST |
Yeah but he used enamels and paint thinner which I gave up about 4 years into this. Now just use acrylic paints and so the Dark Green washes out, mostly anyway. |
Porthos | 12 Jan 2019 3:42 a.m. PST |
The article mentions: "A thousand years ago, women weren't known for writing or painting with the coveted stone, though a lack of signatures on these pieces of art made it difficult to prove that was the case. Nonetheless, monks were known as "primary producers" of books throughout the Middle Ages, authors of the recent study point out. But evidence of a woman with lapis lazuli challenges past conceptions. "The early use of this pigment by a religious woman challenges widespread assumptions about its limited availability in medieval Europe and the gendered production of illuminated texts," the study states.". I thought so too, but yesterday I heard a scientist, specialized in the subject, tell that this is nonsense. There were quite a lot of women illustrating in that time and not only religious ones. In Paris, for instance, there were lots of very small "shops" taking care of illustrating, at least one of them known as run by a married couple who both illustrated books. She (the scientist) also remarked on the strange aspect of showing only one colour (blue). She suggested that the woman in this case was not a painter, but the lapis lazuli could be the result of kissing a painting. For instance icons (Russian Orthodox religious paintings) are so often kissed that the paint has to be restored regularly ! |
Asteroid X | 13 Jan 2019 3:19 p.m. PST |
Very good insight Porthos. It may be part of the campaign of misinformation about the middle age that is perpetrated by those who desire the world see that time period as backward, horrific and to be shunned at all cost. |
von Schwartz | 13 Jan 2019 6:03 p.m. PST |
Oh gee, I dunno, been tipping my brushes between my lips for over 30 years, granted, mostly water based acrylics with no ill effects. However, a number of years ago I made the mistake of trying to remove paint from my fingers with paint solvent containing toluene. Now I should've known better, HELL, I have a certificate in industrial hygiene after all. Contact dermatitis, my finger tips cracked, split, and bled periodically for 2 years, no amount of hand lotion helped. |