Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1969
Recommended Citation
Handlong '69, R. Bruce, "Dictionary of Artists' Oil Pigments: Their Chemical and Physical
Properties" (1969). Honors Projects. 2.
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D ICTIONARY OJ? ARTIS TS f 011 PIG-r-fEHTS :
I THEIR CHENICA1 AND PIiiS ICAL
PROPERTIES
"
by ARCHIVES
!�' J'J!l7£6f
Da te
/"
, .
ii
PREFACE
style.
PREFACE • • • • • • • • • • iii
INTRODUCTIon • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1
SOURCES OF PIGI,lENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1
iv
DICTIONARY OF ARTISTS' OIL PIGMENTS:
PROPERTIE S
INTRODUCTION
and Jan Van Eyck, DU rer, da Vinci, Seurat, and other mas
SOURCES OF PIG�ffiNTS
and violet. The colors may be used as they are, but many
permanent,,
1
�ully processed.
tain colors bore warning labels: liDo not mix 'tvith such-
2
F• "VI!. t'leber, ARTISTSI PIGI1ENTS: THE IR CHErUCA L AND
PHYSICAL PROPE RTIE S, (New York: D. Van Nostrand Company,
1923)" p. 67.
bright colors in reds and yellows are desired, it is
3
advisable to use cadmium colors.
4 �., p. 80.
6
in fine condition.
There was neither room nor money nor a demand for such
5
�. , p. 76.
8
real ized that this haphaz ard limy of produc ing paints
could no t c ont inue . Today, ma jor manufactur ers guar-
ante e the purity, dependabil ity, and mixability of
their c o l ors . Many of them list the ingredient s on
the lab e l of each tube . Others lis t them in the ir
catalogs which are available to all art ists . It is
now ent irely up t o the artis t to work i.iith the r ight
6
colors and mat erial s .
Ammonium Hydroxide
L ime 1.Jater
Filter Papers
sary that the oils, gums, and wax be removed before test
7
weber, ARTISTS' PIGJI1EU':(lS, p. 11.
10
tine , until all t he oil is re moved, leaving only the
pigment upon the �ilter paper . Any turpentine remain
ing with the pig ment s houl d be r e moved by using alc o
ho l in the s ame manner a s t he turpentine was used. It
s hould now b e ob served whe t her t he turpent ine , or the
al c oho l , fil tere d off c ol orless; a c olored s olution
would indicate t he pre s enc e of s o lubl e dye - s tuf�s or
o t her s oluble subs tanc e s . Some extre mely fine pigments
filter through with the first filtrate and the artis t
should not mistake this for a c ol ore d solution , indi-
eating dye-s tuff s or o t her soluble c oloring mat ter , as
the s olution usually filters clear after c are�ully re-
filtering . �ihen dyes are pres ent t he filt ered s olut ion
8
will r e main colored even after re�il tering s everal time s .
First , t he che mical compo s it ion of the pigment
r�s t b e determine d in order to �urt her tes t it s purity
and propertie s as a durabl e c olo r . I � the name of t he
pigment in ques t ion be kno wn , reference should be made
to the various t e s ts e mpl()ye d in it s dete c t ion, lis t e d
under its re spe c t ive name in the s e c o nd half o f this
paper . If on t he othe r hand, the identity of the color
is not knm,m , referenc e s hould b e made to t he listing
of several c olors of s imilar appearance with t heir dis -
tinguis hing reac t ions .
To il lus trate t his more c learly, le t us , for ex-
8 Ibid . , p . 12.
11
ample, assume that we have four blue pigments, which
paper.
impurities.,
9Ibid., p. 13.
12
reacted upon by the acid for Cobalt Blue and Pruss ian
from the sample pigment with the tint of the known stan
I
dard. O
13
LIST OF COLORS
4. Indian yellow •
7. R e d o cher .
9. Graphite .
10. fJIadder lake .
11. Vermi l ion.
12. Umber .
13. C obalt blue .
14. U l tramarine blue .
1 .5 . Paris blue .
1 6. Oxide of chromium, opaque and transparent .
1 7. Green earth .
1 8. Ivory blac k .
1 9. Vine b lack .
Today He should add t o thi s l i st cadmium red and
tit anium whit e . The ab ove s e t of c o l ors enable s you t o
16
mix any pos s ib l e color and shade except spec ial chemical
S'
color s . 1
AL IZARIN LAKES
�l2 Ibi d . , p. 17 .
FaEri , C OLOR , p . 101 .
21
Madder Lake yie lds t ints of highe s t color value and de
pendable permanenc e and durab ility _
ANTWERP BLUE
AUREOLIN
AZURE
2h·1-b'd
� ., p . 22 •
Bi'1.RIUM YELLOlrJ
�� Ib �d. , p . 149 .
Ib ld . , p . 181 .
28 Weber, ART I STS ' P IGMENTS , p . 2 3 .
It i s c ompos e d of barium chromate . In app e ar-
anc e barium ye llow i s very lit tle different from z inc
yellmv , only bright e r ; under artif i c ial l ight it i s lu
minously bright , almo s t white . It i s readily soluble
in dilute hydrochlor ic ac id, and at the same t ime turns
a re ddish yellow. vlhen heated , i t become s reddish , and
when cold again, it i s pure ye llow again . ( This i s a
dis t inction from zinc ye llow ) . Barium yellow is s light
ly poisonous , and it i s superior t o zinc yellow in per
manence . 29
BLUE- BLACK
CADHIUIvl YELLOVJ
3 2 Ibi d . , p . 98 .
3;3Doerner , r1ATERIALS OF THE ARTIST , p . 84.
34\ie b er, ARTISTS ' P IGHENTS , p . 25 .
27
Sulphide o � C ailiuium, Jaune de C ad�ium,
Giallo di cadmio , Amarillo de c a�mio ,
Kadmiurngelb
35;rb i d . , p . 28 .
28
crucib l e '[,·Jith pure Sulphur in exc e s s , an exce s s of
Sulphur is l ikely to o c cur . It i s ne cessary that
all the chemical s use d in making the pigment be abs o -
lut ely chemi cally pure , as trace s o f iron, l e a d , bis -
routh, copper or any other metal , giving a colored sul-
phide , would mat erially al ter the hue and bril l iancy
of the des ired c olor .
The wet process i s in favor indus tr ially in the
manufac ture of C afuaium Yellows . The Sulphide of Cad
mium irJ ill vary in hue from l ight yellow to a f iery
orange according to the concentration or s trength of
the s o lution of the Cadmium salt , the termpera ture and
the l ength o f time. the s o lution i s diges t e d with the
hydrogen sulphide gas , and l-lhether the s o lution be
36
neutral or s l ight ly a c idifi e d .
The darker types of Cadmium, l ight , medium,
dark, and orange , have mor e covering power and are
perrnanent . 3 7 The paler Ca dmiums are mor e like ly t o
fade s lightly ..
Cadmium Y e llow dis s olve s in c onc entrate d , hot
hydrochlor i c aci d , g iving off hydrog en sulphide . A
yellow s olution woul d indi cat e the pres ence of Chrome
Yellow , and a re ddish solution woul d indicate the
pres ence o f Zinc Ye l low . hlhen heate d o n a spatula ,
36 I b i d . , p . 2 9 .
37Doerner , I�TERIALS OF THE ARTIST , p . 65 .
29
�
3 Ib i d . , p . 65 .
3 t'leber , ARTISTS ' P IGNENTS , p. 30 .
30
Cadmium Red dis s olves to a c olorles s solut ion
in c oncentrat ed hydro chloric acid 't-Jith the evolut ion
of hydrog en sulphide and hydrogen selenide . Adul t era
tion with barytes would be indicated by an insoluble
re s idue of the same . 40
CARBON BLACK
CERULEAN BLUE
s o lut i on, s trongly heat ing , then powder and wash the
greeni sh-blue mas s whi ch i s the var i e ty of Cerulean
4
Blue known a s C OERULEUH . 3
CHRO:ME GREEN
43 I b ide , p . 3 5 .
44Y5Id ., p . 36 .
45Maerz and Paul , DICT IONARY OF COLOR , p . 181 .
33
hue obtained 'tvill range from pale yellm-J-green to deep
blue-green.
mium. 46
CHROll1E RED
ft6 \ve� e r,
ARTISTS t PIGHE.'NTS, p. 37.
J,�·Ib�d., p. 38.
;-rS
4 Maerz and Paul, DICTIONARY ON COL OR, p. 1 9 2 .
-
34
CHROME YELLOW
COBALT BLUE
hues.
COBALT GREIDT
Kobalt Gruen
56Ibid., p. 46 .
57Doerner, }�TERIALS OF THE ARTIST, p. 80.
58rvlaerz and Paul, DICTIONARY OF COLOR, p. 193.
39
It is a compound of Cobaltous Oxide--CoO, and
Zinc Oxide--Zn O.
eratures .5 9
•
z inc.
mann, in 1 7800
COBALT VIOLE1f
�61tJeber,
ARTISTS' PIm1ENTS, p. 47.
Doerner, MATERIALS OF THE ARTIST, p. 86.
Violetto cobalto, Cobalto violeta,
Kobalt violet
1859 by Salvetat.62
CYAlilEOUS
" dark . 11 6 3
Blu e .
light. 64
DELFT BL UE
�
6 Maerz and Paul, DICTIONARY O F C OLOR, p . 1.5 5.
��weber, A RTISTS' PIGI� NTS, p .5 1 .
;;;rr'1aerz and Paul, DICTIONARY OF C OLOR, p . 1 5.5 .
•
6 7Ibid. , p .5 3 .
68Ma"e'rz and Paul, DICTIONARY OF a·OLOR, p. 19.
•
c ess and the wet Process. In the Dry Proc ess, C op
tion, the hue will vary from bright red by moderate heat,
denses o n the coo ler Hall o f the test tube, sho uld no t
73Ibid. , p. 64.
74Ib id., p. 6 5.
45
turn blue litmus paper red.
INDI A N YELLOW
75Ibid. , p. 66 .
76noerner, ¥�TER IALS OF TH� ARTIST , p. 71.
46
Indischgelb
--C1 H1 �� Oll · 5H 2 0 .
9 6
Genuine Indian Yellow is obtained from the urine
The crude round balls of pig ment are about three or i'our
173 5. 7 9
LAl1P BLACK
pure Carbon--C.
Verde Azuro82
of ore.
oxide.
K�NGANESE VIOLET
Nuernberg er Violet
Cobalt Violet .
Ul tramarine.
vJater .
safe.8 6
ing for some time this bright green color wil l change to
a viol et color. Sodium Permanganate--Na�mo --i s �or med . 8 7
4
The earl i es t record o� its us e as a pigment was
in 187 3. 88
I1ARS COLORS
Mars Yellow
l et.
N APLES YELL OW
Neapelgelb
ate--PbSb 0 •
2 6
It was used as an enamel and on decorated pot
es t pigments known.
and purity of the ochre. The ochres selected for artists '
ments.
in boiling water.
Oxford Ochre.
ancient times o
Gruenes Chromoxyd
97Ibi d. , p. 96 .
��DOerner, K�TERIALS OF THE ARTIST , p. 84 .
I-Jeber, ARTISTS ' PIGMENTS, p e 97 .
59
whose method is still in use today.
to light.lOO
PERI"lALBA
l OOIb l· O . , p. 98
101noer ner, Y�TERIALS OF THE ARTIST, p . 8 .
�
•
4
60
Permalba is a true composite pigment consisting
sylvania.
PRUSSIAN BLUE
igl�Ibid. , p. 100.
�Maerz and Paul , DICTIONA RY OF COLOR , p. 165 .
lO� Ibid. , p. 1 7 .
5
ig 71I1Te'ber, ARTISTS
I PIG!1ENTS , p. 100.
Maerz and Paul, DICTION A RY OF COLOR, p. 1 75.
62
as a deep blue insoluble precipitate.
obtained.
w.
9�
1 1rjeber, A RTISTS' PIGJlENTS, p . 101 .
1 Ibid, p. 102.
'
11 0nerner, l��TERIALS OF THE ARTIST, p. 81.
63
slightly when put into the sun but regains its c olor
.f 1.· nd a dark blue spo t. Th 1.' S p1. gment 1.' S h ard t0 use. 112
.
� _
preparation. 113
116
· • tus ,
IV!l�n�a
Bl e imennige l 1 7
spe11 lng
' .123
as the Ochres.
TERRE VERDE
ULTRA}�RINE BLUE
135 Ibid . , p . 11 2 .
71
1 6
evolut ion of Hydrogen Sulphide . 3 The color i s not
re adily des troye d by heat . The addi t ion of dyes to
br ight en the color is dete c ted by shaking a sample of
the pigment vlith water or alcoho l , the ultramarine
is ins oluble and will s et t l e to the bottom as a pre
cipita t e . C aus t ic alkalie s will dis c olor them to a
browni sh hue if Pruss i an B lue is pre s ent . Ammonium
hydroxide "Jill produce a b lue soluti on if copp er blu e s
are pre s ent . Gypsum, b ari�un sulphat e , chalk, china
c l ay , magnes ium, and c arbonate are s ometime s added t o
cheap en the product but re duce the t inting s trength of
1
the color . 3 7
l 3 6 Ib id . , P
- . 11 3 .
1 37 Ibid . , p . 114.
l 3 8noern er , MATERIALS OF T�� ART IST , p . 8 7 .
-
VERHILION
itt* Ibi d � ,p . 11 9 .
Ib id-� , p . 120 0
1 48Maerz and
Paul , DICT IONARY OF COLOR , p . 154 .
149 �{eber , ART ISTS ' PIGMENTS , p . 1 20 0
76
'.'JEITE LEAD
�
l O Ibid . , p . 2 .
1 1
l � lnoern er � MATERIALS OF Trm ART IST, p . 5 1 .
78
or chemical s ar e neede d . 152
A good variety of �mite Lead shoul d be cOMpo s ed
of 70% carbonate of l e ad and 3 0% of lead hydroxide .
Varying per centages of lead carbonate and hydroxide
affec t opac ity , cons i s t ency and durability .
tmit e Le ad is one of the mos t opaque white p ig
ment s and is e qualed only by Permalb a . I t is s ens i -
t ive t o hydrogen sulphie and forms b lack l ead sulphide .
A s an oil i t b e c omes yell ovlish in c olor upon aging and
l e s s opaque . "Lm en it i s expos e d to the e l ement s , Vlhite
L e ad become s chalky after long expo sure . It is perma-
nent , espec ially so vJ"hen prot e c t e d by a c oat of oil or
varni sh .. 153
Its solubility in s odium chl oride c aus e s dis -
integration of the pigment 1fhen it i s exp o s ed to s e a
a ir . Carbon Di oxide in the air att acks 'lrill i te Lead . 154
\till i te L e ad i s very p o i s onou s .. Even the inhaling
of the dus t containing i t can caus e s erious cons e quenc es .
tfuen grinding 1JJhit e Lead '!rlith a me dium , the greatest
caut ion is adv i s ab l e , and the hands should b e very car e
fully i'la shed . Thi s dang er should not b e underes timate d . 155
·h1hen heated, lill i te Lead l o s e s carbon::: d ioxi de and
!''later and is s lm'lly converted int o lead oxi de--Pb O , ( L i:bh-
arg e , a yellowish-red c olor ) .. l'1a s s icot is a l'ftodification
Hydrogen peroxide--H 0 2 •
2
A cheap subs t i tu t e for \'Jhi te Lead is Bas ic Lead
Chl oride--PbC I 2Pb ( OH ) 2 - - ' but it is not durable in mixture s .
Z INC irJI-IITE
l,5 8
Z inc Nhite is c omposed o f Z inc oxi de--Zn O .
Not until early in the e ighteenth c entury ivas
there suff i c ient interest manife s ted in metal t o en-
deavor to produc e it from ore . A traditi on rec orde d
by BerYJaan s ays that an Engl ishman vi s it e d China to learn
the art of making Zinc . He attained his knO'toTl e dge , re-
turned i'lith the s ecre t and s o on after'tv-ards erec ted a
Z inc plant at Bri s tol , England for the pro duct i on of
Spelter . This pl ant 'tv-as ere c t e d in 1 743 . Shortly
after the e s tabli slkment of this Spelt er p lant a t Br istol ,
the pro duct , Spel ter , Ivas used to coat iron she ets to
prevent them from rus t ing . Thi s 't·m s the beginn ing of
Galvani zed Iron . An operat or of this pro cess notic e d
that a fine Hhite pOiv-der colle c t ed ab out the edges of
his melted z inc b ath. This pro ved to be Z inc Oxide .
The zinc ores are S Tllel ted, the z inc being distilled off
iz es. The fumes upon meeting the air burn with a bright
1 5 9Ibid., p. 129 .
l6
0� . , p. 130.
82
preferred to �,n.'1i te Lead in gr 01.,mcis . Z inc tTh i te i s
perma..'Ylent to light , do e s not yell oVJ, and a s a bas ic
mineral c olor has l e s s than i'.lh ite Lead a s o l idifying
eff e ct up on fatty o ils .Hydrogen Sulphi de acts upon
6
Zinc irJhit e and produces a 1'1)'h i te Z inc Sulphi de . 1 l
llJh en exposed to the air , Z inc lfu ite become s
gri t ty and through the absorp t ion of carbonic ac i d
turns int o ba s ic Z i nc C arbonat e . It should therefore
be kept in t ightly clos e d gla s s j ars . lvhen heat e d ,
i t vrill again turn t o p o"tider .
If Z inc 1'\111i t e is heate d , i t turns lemon ye ll01'1
and in c o oling 1'1)'hi t e . It differs in this r e spect from
I"Jh i te Lead . Pure Z inc �'.1hite dis s olves in alkaline s o -
lut ions , arati1onia, and a c ids , i n the lat ter wi thou t
efferve s c enc e . Efferve s cence indicates chalk and an
o dor of hydrog en sulphide is pres ent . L i thopene , clay ,
and blru�c f ixe remain a s residue s . Ace t i c acid at tacks
Z inc Nhite . Z inc t·r.:.'l ite disint egrates quickly out of
door s , and it increa s e s in volume and caus e s cracks .
Ground in oil , Z inc lfui t e drie s s l owly, e sp e c ially s o
if i t ' is ground in p oppy oil . Thi s retarded drying is
\·Jel c orned by many painter s , but the color never dri e s as
s ol i dly as t,fu i te Lea d . Zinc t,Jhite is no t suited t o un-
derpainting in oil f or c racking vJill fol low .
J?ormerly Zinc \fui te pos s e s s ed mor e gl azing qual i
t ie s , but today i t is u s ed by art ists for opaque paint-
�1 6 �Doerner
1
, IvJATER LL)'LS OJ? :I'Hg AR�:PIST , p • .5.5 .
ing b e cau s e it doe s not turn yellO'tv in o ils as do e s
16 2
liJh J.. L>e I_,e a d
· .... • Z inc \�it e is s o transparent and s o
iv-eak in c overing pOl.v-er that you nee d a great deal of
6
it to make a color l ighter . 1 3
1 6 2 Ibid . , p . 56 .
1 6 3Fabri , C O LOR , p . 105 .
INDEX