han blue

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Han blue

Han blue was used by Chinese artists since the 6th century BC.

Manufacturer / product code: Kremer 10071
Chemical description: barium-copper-silicate
Color: blue
Color Index: N/A
More info: Kremer PDF

Han blue—often paired historically with the related pigment Han purple—is one of the earliest synthetic colourants created in ancient China. Developed during the Western Zhou period and flourishing in artistic use under the Qin and Han dynasties (c. 1200–200 BCE), Han blue represents a remarkable technological achievement. Chemically a barium copper silicate, it was produced through high-temperature firing of quartz, barium minerals, and copper compounds. This deliberate synthesis mirrors, in parallel, the invention of Egyptian blue in the Mediterranean world.

Artists of the Qin and Han periods used Han blue extensively in polychrome sculpture, wall painting, lacquerware, and luxury objects. It adorned the famous terracotta warriors, textiles, architectural tiles, and ritual artifacts, providing a deep, saturated blue unheard of in natural mineral sources available in China at the time. Its durability made it suitable for outdoor and architectural contexts, while its strong chroma gave symbolic power to depictions of immortality, cosmology, and imperial authority.

By the early centuries CE, Han blue’s production declined as new materials—particularly imported azurite and later indigo—became more accessible. Eventually, the exact manufacturing process was lost, and the pigment faded from artistic practice.

Today, Han blue is significant not only as a historical artistic material but also as a subject of scientific research. Its strong infrared fluorescennce, similar to Egyptian blue, allows conservators to identify it through non-invasive imaging.

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