mummy (pigment)

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Scope note
A bituminous pigment that is dark brown in color and was prepared during the16th-17th centuries by grinding Egyptian mummies that had been embalmed with asphaltum or bitumen. The ground mummy residue was believed to produce a pigment that was more durable than fresh asphaltum. In the 19th century, mummy brown was used as a transparent brown pigment for oil painting and for oil glazes. Some substitutes, such as Vandyke brown and bituminous earth pigments, were also sold under the name of "mummy."
mummy
Accepted term: 13-May-2024