Abstract
Guangzhou Tongcao paintings in Qing Dynasty of China witnessed the exchange of economy, culture, art and technology between China and foreign countries, which were an important export product in historical China. In this paper, by using Optical Stereo Microscope, Polarized Light Microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope attached Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and micro confocal laser Raman Spectroscope, a Qing Dynasty Tongcao painting with the subject of family life of an official’s female relative was analyzed. Our study revealed that: (1) the hexagonal cell morphology which was easily observed in the Tongcao pith could contain more pigments and increase the stereo sense of painting, and the cell of historical Tongcao pith had started to degrade, which indicated an urgent requirement on conservation of Tongcao paintings; (2) alum was needed as the fixing agent in the preparation of pigments and the painting process; (3) both the China domestic pigments including red lead, calcite, lead white, carbon black and gamboge, and the synthetic pigments imported from Europe (synthetic ultramarine, prussian blue and emerald green) were applied in this painting, which reflected the bi-directional communication of culture and technology between China and western world. Meanwhile, the existence of synthetic ultramarine, prussian blue and emerald green was helpful to further identify the production date of this painting was late Qing Dynasty, mainly the mid-late 19th century.
Highlights
Tongcao (通草) paintings, which were painted directly on Tongcao pith, were a kind of export watercolor painting
It was well kown that Tongcao pith had not been treated by any chemical process, and its hexagonal cell structure could be clearly seen under the microscopy (Fig. 2), which differentiated from that of Xuan paper with numerous and various sizes of fibers mixed together irregularity
Under the SEM–EDS, surface of Tongcao pith looked like the honey honeycomb, which was helpful for the stack of pigments and formed an uneven surface for the distribution of pigments, so Tongcao paintings looked stereoscopic and colorful
Summary
Tongcao (通草) paintings, which were painted directly on Tongcao pith (the stem of Tetrapanax papyriferus without any chemical treatment), were a kind of export watercolor painting. They were produced mainly in late Qing Dynasty of China (1840-1912AD) in Guangzhou, and yet specially sold to European. As Tongcao paintings imitated western painting style to some extent and vividly recorded most aspects of local customs of Guangzhou at that time, they were favored by foreigners once. Crossman studied the creation and trade transmission of Tongcao paintings [1, 2]. More and more attention had been paid to this special kind of painting. In 2007, professor Jiang of Sun Yat-sen University tried to
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