Sanguine Paint

Process & Production

This recipe called for iron filings (Fe), natural haematite (Fe2O3), lead-silica glass (PbO·SiO2), lead(II) oxide (PbO), bismuth (Bi), and gum Arabic in the proportion of 4:17:8:2:2:1 by wt. The lead-silica glass had been previously prepared according to Félibien (1676) and Blancourt (1697) (PbO: SiO2, 3:1 by wt). To obtain the sanguine powder, all the ingredients apart from gum Arabic and haematite (Fe2O3) were ground into powder first, then were mixed and ground again together on a copper plate. Powdered haematite was then added, and the mixture was placed in a glass bowl. The gum Arabic was dissolved in distilled water (1: 200 by wt), then added little by little until the mixture became homogeneous. The glass bowl was then covered with flat glass (3 mm above the rim to allow the solution ventilation) and placed inside, on a windowsill exposed to the sun for three days. After this time without stirring, the light red liquid on top of a precipitate of darker particles was decanted into another glass bowl. The light red material (sanguine) was placed once more in the sun until all liquid had evaporated. The powder was then painted on a glass with gum Arabic dissolved in distilled water. Finally the paint was fired at 620ºC for 30 minutes (ramp 3ºC/minute).

Find more at:
Â. Santos, M. Vilarigues (2019). Sanguine Paint: Production, Characterization, and Adhesion to the Glass Substrate. Studies in Conservation 64, 4, 221-239.

Recipe Details

Ingredients:
iron filings (Fe), natural haematite (Fe2O3), lead-silica glass (PbO: SiO2, 3:1 by wt), lead(II) oxide (PbO), bismuth (Bi), and gum Arabic, distilled water. Recipe Source: Sanguine reconstruction of a recipe by Maurice & Antoine (“L’Art et la maniere de peindre sur le verre”, 17th/18th century) in Pierre Le Vieil’s “L’Art de la Peinture sur Verre e de Vitrerie”, 1774, pp 127).