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  • Beyond the Naked Eye: Inks of Asia
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Beyond the Naked Eye: Inks of Asia

Object Details

Views
67
Video Title
Beyond the Naked Eye: Inks of Asia
Description
Traditional East Asian ink—used in painting and calligraphy—was previously fashioned from either pine soot or lampblack soot. While these materials are still in use, contemporary inks are also composed of industrial carbon black. These three different soots are chemically similar and can be difficult to identify, despite some variation in their characteristics. In this talk, conservation scientist Jennifer Giaccai will examine samples from modern soot and ink workshops in Japan and China, identifying commonalities and disparities. She will also discuss ongoing studies using Raman spectroscopy to identify ink sources without requiring scientists to remove samples from artwork. Jennifer Giaccai is a conservation scientist in the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. She previously worked at the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. She joined the Freer and Sackler in 2015. Her current research interests include tracing the introduction of modern pigments in Chinese paintings and analyzing the dyes in the embroidery of Ming dynasty rank badges and the pigments used on picchwai. This talk is part of the monthly lunchtime series Sneak Peek: New Research from the Freer and Sackler, where museum staff present in-depth, personal perspectives on and discuss ongoing research connected to works in the Freer and Sackler collections.
Video Duration
40 min 54 sec
YouTube Keywords
Freer sackler freersackler smithsonian asian art museum asia dc
Data Source
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel
FreerSackler
Uploaded
2021-10-26T23:00:33.000Z
Creator
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Type
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
See more by
FreerSackler
YouTube Category
Education
Topic
Art, Asian
Record ID
yt_1vOlavZHG54
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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Home Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

Our entrance is on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE.

street map of Postal museum

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