{"id":19,"date":"2020-02-11T15:42:54","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T15:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/?page_id=19"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:43:52","slug":"pigment-formulation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/pigment-formulation\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical Pigment Formulation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our research focuses on how historical pigments were made and why some of them fade while others remain stable for centuries. We recreate historical pigments using documented recipes and study how light, air, and environment affect their stability. A major focus of our work is Iris Green<\/em>, a medieval pigment that behaves unpredictably\u2014sometimes remaining stable and other times fading dramatically. By studying these pigments in the lab, we aim to better understand their chemistry and help improve conservation strategies, while training students in interdisciplinary research that connects chemistry, art, and history.<\/p>\n

\"Image
The blue Iris Germanica is grown in the SUNY Cortland Faculty Garden and harvested for Iris Green pigment research purposes.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Swatches
Iris green is freshly made and has a similar shade to malachite. Various surface applications are tested here that reflect the historical paint’s performance on surfaces available during it’s primary usage period.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sap
Iris green was replaced by sap green in the late 1700s. Historians sometimes refer to Iris green as sap green, or a chlorophyll green, however, the pigment does not display these properties. Iris Green rapidly fades from a blueish-green to a yellow. The Iris green depicted here is that of the faded type.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our research focuses on how historical pigments were made and why some of them fade while others remain stable for centuries. We recreate historical pigments using documented recipes and study how light, air, and environment affect their stability. A major focus of our work is Iris Green, a medieval pigment that behaves unpredictably\u2014sometimes remaining stable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-19","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cortland.edu\/schmitt-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}