User:Soneil01/Gamboge

Introduction
Gamboge is a deep yellow pigment derived from a species of tree that primarily grows in Cambodia. Popular in east Asian watercolor works, it has been used across a number of media dating back to the 8th century. Easy to transport and manipulate into a durable watercolor paint, Gamboge is notable for its versatility as a pigment in how it has been used in paintings, printing of books, and garment dyes. Though used in a number of different contexts, Gamboge is known not to react well with lime surfaces therefore making it unsuitable for frescos and with white lead. For its popularity, Gamboge has not been extensively identified in works of art from any time period; the few instances wherein art historians have attempted to identify whether or not the pigment was used in a given work have confirmed its widespread use and its longevity as staple within watercolor painting particularly in eastern art.

History
Gamboge’s first recorded use dates back to the 8th century during which time the color was a favorite of Japanese watercolorists. The color does not appear in Western works until around the 13th century and, even after European artists began using Gamboge, it was used only sparingly because of the difficulties associated with obtaining large quantities of the pigment. Some historians speculate small shipments of the pigment were able to be distributed in European contexts due to the occasional over-land trade journeys made from Asia to Europe. Gamboge would become much more accessible beginning in the 17th century as shipping grew in popularity as a method of transporting goods from Asia to Europe. It was around this time that Gamboge’s popularity in watercolors grew tremendously.

The pigment is derived from the gum of a species of evergreen of the family Guttiferae which almost exclusively grows in southeast Asia, specifically Cambodia. In fact, Gamboge gets its name from a now-antiquated name for Cambodia, Camboja, though it was also referred to as gamma gitta in some 17th century European color manuals. The pigment is extracted from Guttiferae trees through a process of cutting several deep incisions into the tree’s trunk thus allowing the resin to bleed out into pre-mounted bamboo canes used as receptacle to initially catch and later transport the product. The practice of collecting Gamboge in bamboo cane was so widespread and recognizable that the pigment was often referred to as “pipe Gamboge” for how it conformed to the cylindrical shape of the receptacle.

Used consistently in artwork since the 8th and 17th century in eastern and western contexts respectively, there was a brief shortage of the pigment during the 1970s and 1980s due to trade restrictions placed on the Khmer Rouge regime. It was during this time that shipments of the gum which makes Gamboge were found to contain bullet casings and other impurities which tainted the pigment.

While Gamboge is best known for its use in artwork, it does have a secondary function as a laxative. In small doses it can cause watery feces while large doses have been reported to cause death.

Visual Characteristics
Once extracted from the trees in which it is found, Gamboge resin has a brownish-red color and a decently malleable composition. Once ground, the resin takes on a deep yellow color. The pigment was favored in certain contexts, specifically India, for its vibrancy as well as its lack of odor which made it desirable over other methods of creating yellow pigments such as the use of cow urine to create a yellowish color. Gamboge was often mixed with Prussian blue to create green paint as well as with burnt sienna to create orange.

Gamboge was most commonly used in watercolor painting because of the ease with which it can be transformed into paint.

Permanence
Gamboge has been used in a variety of media ranging from artwork to book printing to clothing. Its permanence in these media varies greatly depending on the medium in question and how the pigment was mixed with other substances to create the paint in question.

It is known to react poorly with lime surfaces and, as such, is deemed unsuitable for frescos. Gamboge is also known to react with white lead.

Notable Occurrences
For its popularity, Gamboge has not been extensively identified in works of art from any time period; the few instances wherein art historians have attempted to identify whether or not the pigment was used in a given work have confirmed its widespread use and its longevity as staple within watercolor painting particularly in eastern art.

Gamboge has been identified as the underlying gold paint in the Maitepnimit Temple in Thailand as well as having featured in the Medieval Armenian Glajor Gospel. Though not authenticated, it has also been noted that Rembrandt may have used the pigment in a few of his works and that it appears in J.M.W. Turner’s color box.