. Annals of the South African Museum. Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. 254 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM the colour most preferred by the artists, not only because of the availability and tenacious qualities of the ferric oxides, but perhaps also because of the red colour and its possible symbolism: it has been noted herein that some Khoisan women used the pigment as a sign of menstruation and that Hahn (1881) suggested that the red ochre with which Nama women painted sacred stones was a substitute for blood, while Laidler (1928) said that red paints were used as remedies because bl
. Annals of the South African Museum. Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. 254 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM the colour most preferred by the artists, not only because of the availability and tenacious qualities of the ferric oxides, but perhaps also because of the red colour and its possible symbolism: it has been noted herein that some Khoisan women used the pigment as a sign of menstruation and that Hahn (1881) suggested that the red ochre with which Nama women painted sacred stones was a substitute for blood, while Laidler (1928) said that red paints were used as remedies because blood was red. Other ritual uses of red pigments, such as the red burials, might have had their origin as substitutes for blood. MEDIA AND TECHNIQUES OF APPLICATION Although it is impossible to judge from visual evidence the type of media used in the paints, it is clear that some paints were applied thickly as a paste, while others must have been very fluid to have achieved the very fine lines and details in some of the paintings. There is evidence, too, that crayons, of red ochre or charcoal, were used and that some pictures, probably few, might have been made with a powdered pigment only. At many well-sheltered sites the paint, especially the red, is so thick that some of it can be rubbed or scratched off—at Driehoek, near Clanwilliam, people rubbed off paint from large red paintings to draw their initials on the rock next to the paintings (Fig. 24) (see also Rudner & Rudner 1970: 114, 119,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original South African Museum. Cape Town [etc. ] The Museu
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsouthafr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1898
