# Pith paper

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{{Short description|Paper made from the pith of shrubs}}
thumb|Pith paper painting, 19th century
'''Pith paper''' is a Chinese [paper analogue](/source/writing_material) and [paper craft](/source/paper_craft) material{{ref|a|[a]}} made from the [pith](/source/pith) of ''[Tetrapanax papyrifer](/source/Tetrapanax_papyrifer)'', a [monotypic genus](/source/monotypic_genus) of East Asian shrubs. The paper is translucent, naturally white, velvety and very delicate; European traders referred to it by the [misnomer](/source/misnomer) '''rice paper''', assuming it to be made of [rice](/source/rice).<ref name=Harvard>{{Citation |title=Chinese Pith Paintings |date=2011 |url=https://www.huh.harvard.edu/book/chinese-pith-paintings |publisher=Harvard University |department=Faculty of Arts and Sciences}}</ref>

== History ==
Pith paper was being produced as early as the [Jin dynasty](/source/Jin_dynasty_(266%E2%80%93420)), when [Emperor Hui of Jin](/source/Emperor_Hui_of_Jin) ordered multi-colored pith paper flowers during the ''[Yuankang](/source/Emperor_Hui_of_Jin)'' era, 299-300CE. Pith paper flowers featured on [Chinese hairpins](/source/Chinese_hairpin), and were worn by both men and women. By the [Ming dynasty](/source/Ming_dynasty), pith paper flowers began to be produced in larger amounts, primarily in [Jiangsu](/source/Jiangsu), and flower hairpins became a special occasion woman's accessory.<ref name=Harvard/><ref name=Tsai>{{Cite journal|title=Historical Background of Tetrapanax Pith Paper Artifacts |last=Tsai |first=Fei Wan |date=April 1999|work=The Ethnographic Conservation Newsletter |issue=19 |pages=10-13 |url=https://www.icom-cc.org/dlfile.aspx?file=https://www.icom-cc.org/docs/content/The-Ethnographic-Conservation-Newsletter-19_APRIL-1999.pdf |publisher=International Council of Museums}}</ref>

In the first half of the 19th century, pith paper became a preferred painting support for [watercolor](/source/watercolor), [gouache](/source/gouache), [tempera](/source/tempera) and [ink wash](/source/ink_wash_painting) paintings for sale in the [Canton System](/source/Canton_System). Besides the inherent value of the painting, the unique qualities of the pith paper and light cargo weight made the pith paper paintings popular among European merchants and tourists. Paintings were often pasted into albums with [silk](/source/silk) ribbon frames.<ref name=Harvard/><ref name=Tsai/><ref name=AICCM/><ref name=LOC/><ref name=Hasler/>

Pith paper remains an export good from [Taiwan](/source/Taiwan) and southern China, with South America being the largest export market.<ref name=Tsai/>

=== Rice paper misnomer ===

Pith paper became known by the [misnomer](/source/misnomer) 'rice paper' in the West - and ''Tetrapanax'' the 'rice-paper plant' - in the 19th century as pith paper paintings arrived in Europe. British botanist [William Jackson Hooker](/source/William_Jackson_Hooker) is credited with identifying to the Western world that pith paper is made from ''Tetrapanax'' pith in 1852.<ref name=Harvard/>

[[File:Aralia papyrifera Hooker.jpg|thumb|Cutaway diagram of ''[Tetrapanax](/source/Tetrapanax)'' showing the pith]]
== Production and uses ==

Traditional production of pith paper begins by soaking branches of ''Tetrapanax'' for days to release the pith from the bark. Modern pith paper production eschews soaking for hammering the pith out of logs.<ref name=Tsai/> The pith is then peeled lengthwise with a blade into sheets, which can be molded further with moisture before final drying.<ref name=Harvard/>

Pith paper is brittle and [hygroscopic](/source/hygroscopic), making retouching and conservation difficult. However, this trait can be taken advantage of as a [watercolor paper](/source/watercolor_paper), where painted sections of the paper will essentially [emboss](/source/Paper_embossing) themselves. Pith paper also readily accepts dyes, applied in paper crafting.<ref name=AICCM>{{Citation |title=Layered Decisions: A Pith Painting Treatment |last=Barnott-Clement |first=Rebecca |date=June 2017 |work=AICCM National Newsletter |issue=138 |url=https://aiccm.org.au/network-news/layered-decisions-pith-painting-treatment/ |publisher=Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material |last2=Chu |first2=Cancy}}</ref><ref name=Hasler>{{Citation |title=Conserving Chinese pith paintings |last=Hasler |first=Eleanor |date=2017-05-26 |url=https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/conserving-chinese-pith-paintings |publisher=The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew}}</ref>

== Notes ==
:1. {{note|a|[a]}} Being essentially a slice of pith, not milled fibers, pith paper may not be considered a "true" [paper](/source/paper).<ref name=LOC>{{Citation |title=Preserving Pith Paintings |last=Boone |first=Terry |date=May 2003 |work=Information Bulletin |url=https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0305/conserve.html |place=U.S.A. |publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [Onionskin](/source/Onionskin) paper
* [Sunqua](/source/Sunqua), 19th century Qing painter
* [Artificial plants](/source/Artificial_plants)
* [History of paper](/source/History_of_paper)
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{paper}}
Category:Chinese handicrafts
Category:Papermaking in China
Category:Watercolor painting
Category:Chinese painting

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pith paper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pith_paper) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pith_paper?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.