7/30/2023 0 Comments Spiral knights armor color![]() Gilding has been employed since antiquity to decorate practically all types of European, Islamic, and Asian arms and armor. Powdered gold was combined with mercury and applied to the surface and heated to drive off the mercury, leaving the gold bonded to the armor metal surface. A more durable method known as amalgam or “fire” gilding was commonly used on arms and armor. The process traditionally implies the application of a very thin sheet of gold or silver to a surface with the help of an adhesive, usually known as water or oil gilding, or the application of powdered metal suspended in a medium (gold paint or lacquer). The application of gold and silver to an object’s surface, generally known as gilding, is another form of coloring. The first examples of heat patination seem to appear during the fifteenth century, but the practice may well be much older. Scabbards from swords and daggers are likely to have been covered in fabrics, colored leathers, or fur as early as Egyptian times, if not earlier. It is more difficult to establish when textile coverings and heat patination first appeared. In Europe, the technique of decorating arms and armor with paint was certainly known in antiquity, although today no surviving objects appear to date from before the thirteenth century. Besides being attractive, patination and painting also inhibit rust on metal surfaces. The favored color for armor, edged weapons, and firearm barrels was a deep blue, in a process referred to as “bluing.” A range of colors could also be produced chemically, using a variety of different recipes, such as a rich brown color that was popular on firearm barrels in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Considerable skill is required to achieve a consistent and even heat patination of large areas (e.g., a breastplate) or groups of objects (e.g., a complete armor, 32.130.6). When taken out of the fire at a particular temperature, the metal retains this color. Heating metal produces a coloration of the surface, which changes from yellow to purple to deep blue as the heat increases. Surfaces and components made from iron or steel could also be patinated, either by heat or chemically, as well as by gilding (see below). The following is a short introduction to some of the more commonly used techniques.Ī frequent form of decoration on arms and armor is the coloring of certain areas or the entire surface of an object, by means of paint ( 25.26.1), lacquer ( 36.25.81), or covering with textiles ( 29.154.3) secured to the surface by glue, stitching, or rivets ( 14.100.172). The wide range of materials used in the creation of these objects is equaled by the varied possibilities for adding to the aesthetic qualities of functional items, either for daily or ceremonial use. One important aspect in the study and appreciation of arms and armor is the techniques and methods for their decoration.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |