Posted on 01/23/2007 7:53:44 AM PST by blam
Ancient Iraqi Art Determined Poisonous
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Jan. 22, 2007 — Some ninth century Iraqi artists may have literally died for their art, suggests new analysis of Iraqi stucco fragments from this period. A fragment, taken from the ancient palace-city of Samarra, contains three arsenic-based pigments that are known to be poisonous and may cause cancer upon exposure.
Although the findings will not be published until May in the Journal of Archaeological Science, curators at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, where the fragments are housed, have already taken special handling precautions.
"The fragments are stored in a locked cabinet and only handled as little as possible by curators in the Museum’s Middle Eastern section who wear nitrile (special sturdy rubber) gloves," Mariam Rosser-Owen, curator of the Middle East collections at the museum, told Discovery News.
Lucia Burgio, a conservation scientist at the museum, added that researchers also might wear face masks and work in a "fume cupboard." If the object should go on display, it would be placed in a special case "to avoid any accidental contamination of members of the public."
For the study, Burgio, Rosser-Owen and colleague Robin Clark used a non-invasive, high tech process called Raman microscopy, which scanned a grid pattern over the surface of the fragments to construct maps of chemical information. These maps revealed that an otherwise innocuous-looking stucco fragment of colorful stripes contained the toxic pigments orpiment, pararealgar, and another related substance.
These orange-yellow minerals are toxic arsenic sulphides. Orpiment was even once used to coat the tips of poison arrows.
The ancient Iraqis, however, probably did not realize the minerals were poisonous, although some artists may have died for their craft.
"People died young until a couple of centuries ago, and I guess other illnesses were causing artists to die before they got poisoned to death by the materials they were using," explained Burgio. "What happened to their apprentices, who ground and prepared the pigments on a routine basis, I don’t know."
The fragments were once colorful wall paintings on a fine gypsum surface that decorated mosques and palaces at Samarra, which is just over 77 miles away from Baghdad.
Construction of this massive, ancient city created "an early golden age for architectural decoration," according to the researchers. While small, the fragments show beautifully rendered decorations based on plant forms, animals and courtly activities, such as people enjoying wine and dancing. The style is uniquely Arabic, but was possibly influenced by Central Asian artwork.
Clark, a professor in the Christopher Ingold Laboratories at University College London, said the toxic pigments were also "well known in Western Europe." Shades of green, including emerald green, are also sometimes poisonous elements of certain early European art, due to the presence of arsenic-containing copper arsenite and copper arsenoacetate.
Alastair Northedge, professor of art and Islamic archaeology at the University of Paris, is one of the world's leading western experts on Samarra. He recently authored the book, "Historical Topography of Samarra."
Northedge told Discovery News that he is "sure the conclusions are correct" in the recent study.
"It was interesting to see the painters were poisoning themselves with arsenic," he said.
Toxins aside, remains of Samarra, also known as the Abbasid Caliphate in Iraq, comprise a site of important archaeological relevance.
"The Abbasid Caliphate was one of the high points of world civilization," said Northedge, "but it has been more or less inaccessible because of Saddam, and now the war."
A new international project, www.samarrafinds.info, has been set up to better understand the site and what its art and architecture would have looked like during its golden age.
GGG Ping.
Every great artist must suffer for his art..........
This reminds me of a movie where Sean Connery was a monk/investigator. The movie was called "Name of the Rose". It also had Christian Slater in it. In a nutshell, Sean Connery was the character, Brother William of Baskerville, that was sent to a monastery to investigate a strange murder. He discovers that the culprit of the murder was a book whose pages were poisoned (maybe the same type of arsenic?).
Good movie, although I thought the ending was a little dissatisfying, what with the library and all those rare and valuable books going up in flames. Enjoyable to see the Grand Inquisitor get his comeuppance from the local peasanty, though.
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Good movie ... much better book. The plot was 'way too complicated to translate properly to screen.
I would believe every bit of this. Some of the most beautiful minerals (to me) are the arsenic based ones, and would yield nice pigments. I have a really nice piece of realgar. Most of the metallic sulfides are pretty, but not good for the health.
Thanks. I learn something everyday around here:
"The name "Realgar" comes from Arabic rahj al ghar = powder of the mine."
My first thought too. A GREAT book!
"What happened to their apprentices, who ground and prepared the pigments on a routine basis, I don’t know."
She doesn't know?
They died.
...after they dyed.
Don't eat the yellow dirt.
I'm a retired chip-maker and we used arsenic in that business...we took extreme precautions with our arsenic 'sources' and the operators had to do a yearly blood test. Also, 'treated' wood was changed just within the last 2-3 years because it was treated with some form of arsenic. The labels on the wood said to use gloves when working with it and do not breathe the fumes when cutting it. A lot ofchildren's playground equipment was built with this wood. The wood is coated with copper -----(?) now.
"If CCA-treated wood is safe, why change?
"The fundamental safety of CCA-treated wood has not changed, but perceptions in the marketplace have. The preserved wood industry stands by the safety of all wood products treated with CCA, which have been used for nearly 70 years. All wood preservatives go through rigorous safety testing and government approval procedures based on sound scientific research before they are ever used in consumer products."
"Although treated wood represents a tiny fraction compared to all the natural sources of arsenic in the environment, the preservative manufacturers have developed new lines of non-arsenic based preservatives to be responsive to current and anticipated customer interest."
Does that mean you agree or disagree with me?
It seems that they are almost treating one small chip of aresenic based paint or spackle (I don't remember what exactly) as though it were polonium.
If you work with it every day you obviously need to take precautions, especially if it becomes airborne or in a solution that can enter your body easily. (and Mr. G is fine thank you 8-) )
Well, I do know that it can be deadly in high concentrations and harmful in lower doses. I think the Brouhaha about the wood has been overdone. I think it depends on the concentration and exposure time. I wouldn't take it lighty.
Then I believe we agree.
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