Bistre

Bister (French bistre " nut brown ", " chocolate brown " ) is a form of ink of different Production. It has a distinctly yellow to deep brown color and good degree of opacity.

Nature

The classic Bister is generated by soot from burnt wood - evaporated into a powder and diluted again later - so-called shining soot. Its color ranges from yellow- reddish- brown to black, Bister receives However, due to the type of wood used. Most commonly, Buchholz, especially the beech used. For a darker color you used the oak.

Later Bister was often replaced by sepia. Also, Umbra has been used under the name Manganbister. Also, a solution of Vandyke brown - natural charcoal - in Soda gave a brown ink, brown carmine. The modern production is carried out by precipitation of manganese (II ) chloride with chloride of lime and hydrated lime.

Use

Water-color Bister is used to provide, inter alia, spring, brush, or charcoal drawings a warm, brownish background. But to tack can be images ( blurred ) or as a paint color itself comes Bister used. This drawing techniques have been applied particularly in the 15th to 18th centuries by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Tintoretto or Titian.

Today Bister is still used in restorations.