Gum arabic and Japanese masks

One of our museums asked our lab to analyse a polychromy of Japanese
kabuki actor's masks. IR analysis revealed that, besides
carbohydrates which origin from starch glue probably, an arabic gum
can be present. We have no written evidence that this medium was
used in traditional Japanese technique. I wonder, whether such an
additive is possible.

Pawel Karaszkiewcz
Academy of Fine Arts
Conservation Chemistry Lab
Krakow, Poland

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:77
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