‘Lead white’ in Japanese paintings

Abstract

The identity of white, lead-based pigments found on 45 Chinese, Korean and Japanese paintings of the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art has been determined. In 12 out of 13 Chinese paintings, and in all three Korean paintings, basic lead carbonate (lead white) was found. Of the 29 Japanese paintings, six had basic lead carbonate, 20 had basic lead chloride (which occurred as two different compounds), and two carried both of these spedes. One Chinese painting had lead sulphate and one Japanese painting lead phosphate. Historical evidence suggests that two forms of ‘lead white’ were known and distinguished during the eighth century in Japan; the possible connection between this and the present findings on Japanese paintings is discussed.