For the Fabergé egg, see Lapis Lazuli (Fabergé egg).
"Lazuli" redirects here. For other uses, see Lazuli (disambiguation).
Metamorphic rock containing lazurite, prized for its intense blue color
Lapis lazuli
Metamorphic rock
Lapis lazuli in its natural state, with pyrite inclusions (specimen from Afghanistan)
Composition
Primary
Lazurite
Secondary
A mixture of other minerals, often including pyrite
Lapis lazuli (UK: /ˌlæpɪsˈlæz(j)ʊli,ˈlæʒʊ-,-ˌli/; US: /ˈlæz(j)əli,ˈlæʒə-,-ˌli/), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, lāžward,[1] lapis lazuli is a rock composed primarily of the minerals lazurite, pyrite and calcite. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines,[2] in Shortugai, and in other mines in Badakhshan province in modern northeast Afghanistan.[3] Lapis lazuli artifacts, dated to 7570 BC, have been found at Bhirrana, which is the oldest site of Indus Valley civilisation.[4] Lapis was highly valued by the Indus Valley Civilisation (7570–1900 BC).[4][5][6] Lapis beads have been found at Neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and as far away as Mauritania.[7] It was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BC).[8]
By the end of the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into the pigment, ultramarine. Ultramarine was used by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, including Masaccio, Perugino, Titian and Vermeer, and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figures of their paintings, especially the Virgin Mary. Ultramarine has also been found in dental tartar of medieval nuns and scribes, perhaps as a result of licking their painting brushes while producing medieval texts and manuscripts.[9]
^"lapis lazuli". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
^David Bomford and Ashok Roy, A Closer Look- Colour (2009), National Gallery Company, London, (ISBN 978-1-85709-442-8)
^Moorey, Peter Roger (1999). Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: the Archaeological Evidence. Eisenbrauns. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-1-57506-042-2. Archived from the original on 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
^ ab"Excavation Bhirrana | ASI Nagpur". excnagasi.in. Archived from the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
^Sarkar, Anindya; Mukherjee, Arati Deshpande; Bera, M. K.; Das, B.; Juyal, Navin; Morthekai, P.; Deshpande, R. D.; Shinde, V. S.; Rao, L. S. (2016-05-25). "Oxygen isotope in archaeological bioapatites from India: Implications to climate change and decline of Bronze Age Harappan civilization". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 26555. Bibcode:2016NatSR...626555S. doi:10.1038/srep26555. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4879637. PMID 27222033. S2CID 4425978.
^DIKSHIT, K.N. (2012). "The Rise of Indian Civilization: Recent Archaeological Evidence from the Plains of 'Lost' River Saraswati and Radio-Metric Dates". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 72/73: 1–42. ISSN 0045-9801. JSTOR 43610686.
^Bowersox & Chamberlin 1995
^Alessandro Bongioanni & Maria Croce
^Zhang, Sarah (January 9, 2019). "Why a Medieval Woman Had Lapis Lazuli Hidden in Her Teeth". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
Lapislazuli (UK: /ˌlæpɪs ˈlæz(j)ʊli, ˈlæʒʊ-, -ˌli/; US: /ˈlæz(j)əli, ˈlæʒə-, -ˌli/), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious...
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colour in art and decoration since ancient times. The semi-precious stone lapislazuli was used in ancient Egypt for jewellery and ornament and later, in the...
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Harappans. Lapislazuli was imported in great quantity by Egypt, and already used in many tombs of the Naqada II period (c. 3200 BC). Lapislazuli probably...
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alternative birthstone for August Sapphire, the birthstone for September Lapislazuli, the traditional birthstone for September Opal, one of two October birthstones...
1802. The color lapislazuli is displayed at left. LapisLazuli is a color that is a representation of the most common color of lapislazuli. The traditional...
painting and other arts. The raw material of the earliest blue pigment was lapislazuli from mines in Afghanistan, that was refined into the pigment ultramarine...
(Cairo) Osiris on a lapislazuli pillar in the middle, flanked by Horus on the left, and Isis on the right; 875–850 BC; gold and lapislazuli; 9 cm; Louvre...
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is a Filipino actress. She is mostly known for her recurring role as LapisLazuli in Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future. The youngest of four children...
precious metals such as gold and silver, and semi-precious stones, namely lapislazuli and carnelian. These objects are all the more impressive considering...
Lapis armenus, also known as Armenian stone or lapis stellatus, in natural history, is a variety of precious stone, resembling lapislazuli, except that...
Civilization) established around 2000 BC on the Oxus river (Amu Darya) near the lapislazuli mines. It is considered to be the northernmost settlement of the Indus...
however, have opined that the biblical sapir was, in fact, lapislazuli (see Exodus 24:10, lapislazuli is a possible alternate rendering of "sapphire" the stone...
greenish tint due to weathering into malachite. Much azurite was mislabeled lapislazuli, a term applied to many blue pigments. As chemical analysis of paintings...
rule." The mask is inlaid with coloured glass and gemstones, including lapislazuli (the eye surrounds and eyebrows), quartz (the eyes), obsidian (the pupils)...
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