Iron and Steel in Art

Book excerpt: - A comprehensive journey through the history of iron - Aims to become a main reference text on this subject - Of interest to enthusiasts of anthropology, iron-age and art This book will be of interest to all who seek to further their understanding of iron artefacts: their corrosion, conservation, and pigments based on iron compounds, which mankind has used for millennia. The authors take the reader through some of the latest observations on the occurrence and role of compounds of iron - from the hot water undersea vents where the presence of iron pyrites is thought to be vital to the emergence of life on Earth, to the discovery of jarosite on the surface of Mars, possibly indicating the presence of water; from the pyrophoric surprises one can have when dealing with iron artefacts taken from beneath the sea to the use of a blue oxide of iron as a pigment in mediaeval wall paintings; from rusticles on the Titanic to the analysis of coloring matter on the Turin shroud. The great variety of iron compounds is examined (from the simple oxides to the exotic green rusts, from Prussian blue to yellow jarosites), the corrosion of iron in different environments is discussed and a critical review of the many attempts to conserve iron is presented. This volume will serve as a useful textbook on the subject for many years.