Pigments Colours
Drag the Column B cards to rearrange them until each card matches the correct Column A item.
COLUMN A
COLUMN B
Red
Black
Ochre
White
Earth Pigments
Iron Oxides
Limestone
Manganese Minerals
Assertion (A): Naturally occurring earth pigments were widely used for making prehistoric paintings.
Reason (R): Iron oxides, manganese minerals, limestone, and other earth pigments were locally available and could be processed into paints.
Explanation
Explanation: Naturally available minerals and earth pigments could be crushed, powdered, and mixed with suitable binders to produce paints in different colours.
Assertion (A): Lapis lazuli was a commonly available natural pigment source at Bhimbetka.
Reason (R): The Harappans obtained lapis lazuli through long-distance exchange networks.
Explanation
Lapis lazuli was not locally available at Bhimbetka. Its acquisition through long-distance exchange networks by the Harappans highlights its relative scarcity compared with locally available earth pigments.
1. Iron oxide and other mineral pigments are generally more chemically stable than plant-based dyes, helping prehistoric paintings survive for thousands of years
2. Prehistoric paintings survived mainly because plant-based dyes were more durable than mineral pigments.
3. Paintings located deep inside rock overhangs, niches and recesses were less exposed to direct rain and weathering.
4. Paintings on exposed rock surfaces were better protected from weathering than those inside rock shelters
5. The porous nature of sandstone prevented mineral pigments from interacting with the rock surface.
6. Deeply sheltered paintings received less direct sunlight and ultraviolet radiation, which helped slow pigment degradation.
7. Natural isolation of some rock shelters increased human interference, making the paintings more vulnerable to damage.
8. Superimposition refers to the practice of later artists painting directly over older images, sometimes revealing chronological changes.
9. Superimposition completely erased all traces of older paintings and provided no evidence of chronological change.
10. Direct exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation always improves the long-term preservation of prehistoric pigments.