Mellow yellow: Toning papers with traditional Far Eastern colourants

Summary This paper briefly outlines the early use of paper dyes in the Far East, followed by a description of some yellow and brown colorants derived from plants, plus indigo blue and black ink stick. After discussing the results of a light ageing test, the body of the paper deals with how to obtain dye from the dried plants or colour sticks and how to produce a lye (a solution made by leaching wood-ash) to make pH and colour adjustments. Methods used in China, Korea and Japan for applying colour to silk or sheets of paper for relining and infill work as part of a conservation treatment are explained.