Next Article in Journal
Naandamo: Indigenous Connections to Underwater Heritage, Settler Colonialism, and Underwater Archaeology in the North American Great Lakes
Next Article in Special Issue
Identification of Shellfish Blue on an Ancient Egyptian (Dynasty XVIII) Painted Votive Textile
Previous Article in Journal
Promoting Local Geodiversity Through Experiential Outdoor Education: The Syros Island Initiative
Previous Article in Special Issue
Behind the Pages, Artisanal Thought and Knowledge Transmission in an 18th-Century Dyer’s Manuscript
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Heritage
Volume 8
Issue 7
10.3390/heritage8070245
heritage-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours: Investigating Chemistry and Recipes in the First Book on Synthetic Dyes-Based Lakes

by
Eva Eis
1,
Adele Ferretti
2,*,
Francesca Sabatini
3,*,
Valentina Corona
2,
Stefano Legnaioli
4,
Richard Laursen
5,† and
Ilaria Degano
2
1
Kremer Pigmente, 88317 Aichstetten, Germany
2
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
3
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
4
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organometallici, SS di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
5
Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
The author has been retired from Boston University as a Professor Emeritus.
Heritage 2025, 8(7), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070245
Submission received: 30 April 2025 / Revised: 17 June 2025 / Accepted: 18 June 2025 / Published: 24 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dyes in History and Archaeology 43)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

In 1900, Francis Herbert Jennison’s book The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours was published in London. In the early 20th century, the technical literature focussing on synthetic dyes mainly dealt with their use for dyeing. Conversely, the literature on lake pigment manufacture is less comprehensive, and Jennison’s publication was the first monograph on this topic. His book comprises descriptions of the dyes, substrates, and various methods for lake making. Practical examples complete the work: sixteen colour plates with original samples of lake pigments showcase the practical effect on colour of the different dyes and preparation methods. Herein, we present an overview of the context of Jennison’s research and delve into a selection of formulations. Green lake pigment plates were sampled and analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with spectroscopic and spectrometric detectors and by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to correlate the chemical composition with the recipes reported in the book. Seldom or no longer used and unexplored historical dyes were detected, along with polyphenolic compounds possibly used as precipitating agents in lake pigment formulations. Moreover, the examination of two different editions of the Jennison manuscript (i.e., the English and German books) revealed different chemical profiles corresponding to the same lake pigment formulation. This emphasizes the significance of Jennison’s book, confirming how understanding of early formulations is needed to elucidate the later ones.
Keywords: lake pigments; synthetic dyes; tannins; historical sources; Jennison; LC-DAD-MS/MS lake pigments; synthetic dyes; tannins; historical sources; Jennison; LC-DAD-MS/MS

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Eis, E.; Ferretti, A.; Sabatini, F.; Corona, V.; Legnaioli, S.; Laursen, R.; Degano, I. The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours: Investigating Chemistry and Recipes in the First Book on Synthetic Dyes-Based Lakes. Heritage 2025, 8, 245. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070245

AMA Style

Eis E, Ferretti A, Sabatini F, Corona V, Legnaioli S, Laursen R, Degano I. The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours: Investigating Chemistry and Recipes in the First Book on Synthetic Dyes-Based Lakes. Heritage. 2025; 8(7):245. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070245

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eis, Eva, Adele Ferretti, Francesca Sabatini, Valentina Corona, Stefano Legnaioli, Richard Laursen, and Ilaria Degano. 2025. "The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours: Investigating Chemistry and Recipes in the First Book on Synthetic Dyes-Based Lakes" Heritage 8, no. 7: 245. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070245

APA Style

Eis, E., Ferretti, A., Sabatini, F., Corona, V., Legnaioli, S., Laursen, R., & Degano, I. (2025). The Manufacture of Lake Pigments from Artificial Colours: Investigating Chemistry and Recipes in the First Book on Synthetic Dyes-Based Lakes. Heritage, 8(7), 245. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage8070245

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop