Red pigments

<h2 id="red-ochre">Red Ochre</h2>
<p><a href="/facts/Red_ochre/5ehfU8lA">Red ochre</a> takes its reddish colour from the mineral <a href="/facts/Hematite/716YBzGr">hematite</a>, which is an anhydrous iron oxide, and the main ingredient of <a href="/facts/Rust/sajUmaz8">rust</a>.  It was one of the earliest pigments used by man. Hand prints made by using red ochre have been found in the <a href="/facts/Pech_Merle/Ch4ngQBS">Pech Merle</a> cave in Southern France. They date to between 16,000 and 25,000 BC. 
</p>

<h2 id="vermilion">Vermilion</h2>
<p><a href="/facts/Vermilion/pYbDVDxf">Vermilion</a> is a very ancient red-orange pigment, made by pulverizing the mineral <a href="/facts/Cinnabar/MUzsHjFw">cinnabar</a>. Its defect is that it is liable to darken with age, and sometimes develops a purple-red surface sheen, as seen in some paintings by <a href="/facts/Paolo_Uccello/ddjsbo09">Paolo Uccello</a>, including the bridles of the horses depicts in "The Battle of San Romano" .<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
</p><p>Vermilion also has a role in Indian culture. <a href="/facts/Hindu/D7TFhcg1">Hindu</a> women wear a dab of vermilion on their forehead to indicate they are married. 
</p>

<h2 id="cadmium-red">Cadmium red</h2>
<p><a href="/facts/Cadmium_red/3NeFypNH">Cadmium red</a> is a byproduct of <a href="/facts/Zinc/80b1qgk3">zinc</a> ore. About half of the <a href="/facts/Cadmium/wXkV2eIX">cadmium</a> produced in the world has been used for making batteries for automobiles, and a large part of the other half is used for making a family of bright pigments, including cadmium orange and cadmium yellow.  It is known for maintaining its brightness.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>  
</p>

<h2 id="alizarin-crimson">Alizarin Crimson</h2>
<p><a href="/facts/Alizarin_crimson_(color)/gLWfCbDQ">Alizarin crimson</a> is a vivid red pigment, inclined slightly toward purple, which was most widely used as a dye. It came from the <a href="/facts/Rubia_tinctorum/oHSvJzky">Rubia tinctorum</a> plant, commonly known as <a href="/facts/Madder/MAt2Jnwo">Madder</a>. It has been found on fabrics in ancient Egyptian tombs, and its production in Europe was encouraged by <a href="/facts/Charlemagne/o0PlxScC">Charlemagne</a> for the early European textile industry.  
</p>

<h2 id="chinese-red">Chinese Red</h2>
<p><a href="/facts/Chinese_red/pYbDVDxf">Chinese red</a>, a bright red color also known as Han Red for the <a href="/facts/Han_dynasty/hanfxS9D">Han dynasty</a>. It had the same primary ingredient as the western color <a href="/facts/Vermilion/pYbDVDxf">vermilion</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> It was used in China to color murals, architecture, clothing, and especially lacquerware. The Empress of China traveled in red carriages, and wore red costumes. In the <a href="/facts/Ming_dynasty/p3bSVwUH">Ming dynasty</a>, (1368-1644), the color was featured in all official ceremonies, including sacrificial offerings, weddings, and departures of expeditions.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a>
</p>

<h2 id="cochineal-and-red-lake">Cochineal and Red Lake</h2>
<p>Red lac, also called red lake, crimson lake or carmine lake, was an important red pigment in Renaissance and Baroque art. Since it was translucent, thin layers of red lac were built up or glazed over a more opaque, dark color to create a particularly deep and vivid color.
</p><p>Unlike <a href="/facts/Vermilion/pYbDVDxf">vermilion</a> or red <a href="/facts/Ochre/5ehfU8lA">ochre</a>, made from minerals, red <a href="/facts/Lake_pigment/gbfCHHJW">lake pigments</a> are made by mixing organic dyes, made from insects or plants, with white <a href="/facts/Chalk/b6hepsNS">chalk</a> or <a href="/facts/Alum/ULAn0XRB">alum</a>. Red lac was made from the gum <a href="/facts/Lac_(resin)/rd54EgL7">lac</a>, the dark red resinous substance secreted by various scale insects, particularly the <a href="/facts/Laccifer_lacca/z3IhGwRA">Laccifer lacca</a> from India.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Carmine/t3Q6sfUx">Carmine</a> lake was made from the <a href="/facts/Cochineal/hYkz4pcd">cochineal</a> insect from Central and South America, <a href="/facts/Kermes_(dye)/c1VeElIp">Kermes</a> lake came from a different scale insect, <i><a href="/facts/Kermes_vermilio/dgmxXPCY">Kermes vermilio</a></i>, which thrived on oak trees around the Mediterranean. Other red lakes were made from the <a href="/facts/Rose_madder/hKcubgyt">rose madder</a> plant and from the <a href="/facts/Brazilwood/t5SL7Kat">brazilwood</a> tree.
</p><p>Red lake pigments were an important part of the palette of 16th-century Venetian painters,  particularly <a href="/facts/Titian/s0xu1Xen">Titian</a>, but they were used in all periods.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a>  Since the red lakes were made from organic dyes, they tended to be fugitive, becoming unstable and fading when exposed to sunlight.
</p><p><a href="/facts/Cochineal/hYkz4pcd">Cochineal</a> is a deep purplish-red color, made from insects, which is also used as a dye and to color food products.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Cochineal/hYkz4pcd">Cochineal</a> was produced by the Incas to dye cotton from 700 BC. It was also used as a cosmetic and a pigment. The insects were raised on large plantations before the arrival of the Spanish. Three hundred kilos of insects could be raised on each hectare of the plantation. The Spanish conquerors appreciated the value of the color and arranged the export of hundreds of tons to Europe. The production of cochineal was also introduced in the <a href="/facts/Canary_Islands/7lfpqymu">Canary Islands</a> and in <a href="/facts/Poland/eXJ7fd0D">Poland</a>. It largely disappeared after the invention of synthetic dyes and pigments, but has resumed more recently because of the lack of toxicity and environmental benefits of the product.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a>
</p><p>A common characteristic of Red Lake pigments is their translucency. especially in oil painting. Painters often created more vivid colors by adding layers of red lakes over less transparent underfloors, particularly painting over lake colors mixed with <a href="/facts/Lead_white/MoKMLsH9">lead white</a> or vermilion. A weakness of lake pigments is their tendency to fade because of the action of light.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a>
</p><p><a href="/facts/Lake_pigments/gbfCHHJW">Lake pigments</a>, unlike most other reds, are made from vegetal rather than mineral sources. <a href="/facts/Madder/MAt2Jnwo">Madder</a> is produced made from a plant, <a href="/facts/Rubia_tinctorum/oHSvJzky">Rubia tinctorum</a>. They are the result <a href="/facts/Precipitation_(chemistry)/s3BgsLLY">precipitating</a> a <a href="/facts/Dye/a1NSlcsG">dye</a> with an <a href="/facts/Chemically_inert/oglbxzgk">inert</a> <a href="/facts/Binder_(material)/GBxjQF0U">binder</a>, or <a href="/facts/Mordant/KGkRrkba">mordant</a>, usually a <a href="/facts/Salt_(chemistry)/lsSKwGpn">metallic salt</a>.
</p>

<h2 id="minium">Minium</h2>
<p><a href="/facts/Minium_(pigment)/Eu8kFbsn">Minium</a> is a bright orange-red pigment that was often used in the Middle Ages for Illuminated manuscripts. It was made by roasting <a href="/facts/White_lead/MoKMLsH9">white lead</a> pigment.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> 
</p>

<h2 id="list-of-red-non-organic-pigments">List of red non-organic pigments</h2>
<p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/List_of_inorganic_pigments/8Q9HC7AT">List of inorganic pigments</a></p>
<p>This is a list of red inorganic pigments, both natural and synthetic:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a>
</p><p>Arsenic pigments
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Realgar/k0YS1f6G">Realgar</a>: As4S4 - a highly toxic natural pigment.</li></ul>
<p>Cadmium pigments
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Cadmium_red/3NeFypNH">Cadmium red</a> (PR108): cadmium sulfo-selenide (Cd2SSe).</li></ul>
<p>Cerium pigments
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Cerium(III)_sulfide/vtmGBLkx">Cerium sulfide red</a> (PR265).</li></ul>
<p>Iron oxide pigments
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Sanguine/BMqMwE3e">Sanguine</a>, <a href="/facts/Caput_mortuum_(pigment)/a0gKmY3h">Caput mortuum</a>, <a href="/facts/Indian_red_(color)/PK04vAlT">Indian red</a>, <a href="/facts/Venetian_red/K6WsWBtl">Venetian red</a>, oxide red (PR102).</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Red_ochre/5ehfU8lA">Red ochre</a> (PR102): anhydrous Fe2O3.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Burnt_sienna/k6sHW53J">Burnt sienna</a> (PBr7): a pigment produced by heating raw sienna.</li></ul>
<p>Lead pigments
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Minium_(pigment)/Eu8kFbsn">Minium (pigment)</a>: also known as <a href="/facts/Red_lead/NRg3V7Fk">red lead</a>, lead tetroxide, Pb3O4.</li></ul>
<p>Mercury pigments
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Vermilion/pYbDVDxf">Vermilion</a> or <a href="/facts/Cinnabar/MUzsHjFw">cinnabar</a> (PR106): HgS.</li></ul>
<h2 id="notes-and-citations">Notes and citations</h2>

<h2 id="bibliography">Bibliography</h2>
<ul><li>Pastoureau, Michel (2016). <i>Rouge: Histoire d'une couleur</i> (in French). Paris: Éditions du Seuil. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-2-7578-7820-0.</li></ul>
<ul><li>Varichon, Anne (2005). <i>Couleurs: pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples</i> (in French). Paris: Editions du Seuil. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-2-02-084697-4.</li>
<li>Bomford, David and Roy, Ashok, "A Closer Look - Colour", National Gallery, London (2009), <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-85709-442-8</li>
<li>Chunling, Yan, "Chinese Red", Foreign Languages Press, Beijing (2008), <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-7-119-04531-3</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Bomford and Roy, "A Closer Look - Colour", the National Gallery, London (2009), p. 41 <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Bomford and Roy, (2009), p. 41 <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>Bomford and Roy, (2009), p. 41 <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>Bomford and Roy,(2009), p. 42 <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Bomford and Roy, "A Closer Look at Colour" (2009), p 41-43 <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>"The Legacy of Chinese Red: A Cultural and Historical Exploration". imbarex.com. <a href="https://imbarex.com/the-legacy-of-chinese-red-a-cultural-and-historical-exploration/" target="_blank">https://imbarex.com/the-legacy-of-chinese-red-a-cultural-and-historical-exploration/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:7"><p>Chun Ling, "Chinese Red" (2006), p. 6-9 <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:8"><p>Neufeldt, V.; Guralnik, D. B., eds. (1988). Webster's New World dictionary of American English (3rd college ed.). Cleveland: Webster's New World. ISBN 978-0-13-192659-2. OCLC 36197258. <a href="978-0-13-192659-2" target="_blank">978-0-13-192659-2</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:9"><p>Bomford, David; Ashok, Roy (2009). Colour (Rev. ed.). London: National Gallery Co. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-1-85709-442-8. OCLC 280440129. <a href="978-1-85709-442-8" target="_blank">978-1-85709-442-8</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:10"><p>Bomford and Roy, "A Closer Look - Colour", the National Gallery, London (2009), p. 41 <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:11"><p>Varichon, Anne, "Couleurs- Pigments et reinsures dans les mains des peuples" (p. 124) <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:12"><p>Bomford and Roy, "A Closer Look - Colour", the National Gallery, London (2009), p. 41 <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:13"><p>Daniel V. Thompson, The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting, pg. 100 <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:14"><p>Völz, Hans G.; et al. "Pigments, Inorganic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a20_243.pub2. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.. <a href="978-3-527-30673-2" target="_blank">978-3-527-30673-2</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Red pigments open-in-new

Red pigments