Abstract:
This thesis attempts to answer the question: Where does color come from? In order to
answer this question, a rigorous analysis of art-related, chemical, scientific, and
geographical literature was required in order to create a comprehensive inventory of
colorants in the form of a geodatabase of Colorants (included as a CD with this thesis).
The geodatabase of Colorants is compatible with ESRI’s ArcMap 9.x geographic
information system (GIS) and can be used to explore the geography of significant
colorants (antiquity to the twentieth century). This thesis provides a summary of
colorants per continent and provides maps to illustrate where different hues and types of
colorants come from.
In order to understand the distribution of colorants per continent, statistical analyses were
performed to reveal potentially significant correlations between number of ecoregions per
continent and various colorant-related variables per continent. Linear bivariate
regression analysis indicates that terrestrial ecoregions account for approximately 59.4%
of the unexplained variation in number of types of colorants per continent. Results from
the statistical analyses of colorant-related variables indicate some interesting possibilities
about human interaction with color and the search for color in general. Pearson’s and
Spearman’s bivariate correlation analyses and multiple linear regression analyses indicate
that diversity in nature yields more types of colorants, a good reason to maintain
ecosystem integrity.
A chapter on the commonly used colorants in maps, specifically antique hand-colored
maps, is also provided that explores the importance of colorants from a curatorial
perspective. Knowledge of the geography of colorants and the conclusive identification
of colorants is important to proper authentication, preservation, and restoration of antique
maps. The Vinland Map reprint is given as an example.
