Graphite

DEFINITION

A type of carbon used for pencils, transfer sheets and as a dry lubricant. Synthetic graphite is made from carborundum<br><br>A soft black mineral substance, a form of carbon, available in powder, stick, and other forms. It has a metallic luster and a greasy feel. Compressed with fine clay, it is used in lead pencils (though contemporary lead pencils contain no lead), lubricants, paints, and coatings, among other products. Also called black lead and plumbago.Examples of works made with graphite:Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780-1867), commissioned by Prince Wenzel von Kaunitz-Rietberg (Austrian Ambassador to Rome in 1818), The Kaunitz Sisters (Leopoldine, Caroline, and Ferdinandine, Austrians), 1818, graphite, 11 7/8 x 8 3/4 inches (30.1 x 22.2 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. See Neoclassicism. Gustave Courbet (French, 1819-1877), Portrait of Juliette Courbet as a Sleeping Child, 1841, graphite on paper, Mus?e d&#39;Orsay. See Realism.Also see drawing and eraser.