Verdigris is a collective term for copper acetate, whose chemical varieties produce different hues. The technical literature is inconsistent in describing these variations. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II) acetate monohydrate (Cu(CH3CO2)2·(H2O)) and to "blue verdigris" as Cu(CH3CO2)2·CuO·(H2O)6. Other sources describe the main copper salt in natural verdigris as Cu4SO4(OH)6 (brochantite). Still other sources describe it as basic copper carbonate (Cu2CO3(OH)2), or as Cu(CH3CO2)2·(Cu(OH)2)n where n varies from 0 to 3. In marine environments, the main copper salt is tribasic copper chloride (Cu2(OH)3Cl).
Overall, variations of verdigris can be divided into two groups: basic verdigris and neutral verdigris.: 132 The difference in colour depends on the hydration level and degrees of basicity.: 637
Verdigris, which was once used as a medicine and pharmaceutical preparation
: 176 : 414 is mildly poisonous.[clarify][better source needed] Symptoms of toxicity include nausea, anemia and death, although widespread acquired immunity has been documented, as occurred with female workers in Montpellier. Nontoxic substitutes have been developed for some applications, such as art pigments.
Verdigris is a naturally occurring protective layer on metals such as copper, brass, and bronze. In addition to be a desirable artistic effect, it has been used primarily as a pigment and now-outdated medicinal preparations.
When burned, verdigris produces a green flame.
Verdigris has been used as a pigment since antiquity, including in paintings in Rome and Pompeii. The use of verdigris continued into the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque paintings.: 132 It has been identified in The Last Supper (1306) by Giotto.: 142 During the 15th and 16th centuries, it was used in paintings for its transparency and brilliance.: 637 It was difficult to create strong green colors in paintings due to the limitations of the existing green, yellow and blue pigments. In early Italian, Netherlandish, and German paintings, verdigris was widely used to create pure green tones for landscapes and drapery, such as the green coat of Saint John in the Mond Crucifixion by Raphael.: 46 Verdigris was used as both glaze and opaque paint. When verdigris glaze was combined with lead white or lead-tin yellow, it created a deeply saturated green.: 132–136 It was used in oil-based house paint for French and Dutch country houses. Verdigris also was used as an imitation of 'Chinese varnish' on European lacquer.: 175–176 However, during the 19th century, the use of verdigris began to decrease as alternatives such as Emerald Green and viridian became more popular.: 132
As a pigment, verdigris is subject to colour change. The changes are most pronounced during the first month of exposure to air. The changes also depend on the type of binding agent and type of verdigris used. For example, changes are less pronounced with neutral verdigris in oil and egg tempera compared to basic verdigris.: 135 With aging, the green pigment in these applications will show signs of browning or darkening.: 637 For example, in Botticelli's The Mystical Nativity, from 1500, the blue-green costumes of the angels have darkened to a dark green colour.
In previous literature on painting, verdigris has been described as unstable when combined with other pigments which leads to further deterioration. Due to the fickle nature of the pigment, it required special preparation of paint, carefully layered application, and immediate sealing with varnish to avoid rapid discoloration (but not in the case of oil paint). However, further scientific research suggests that the difficulties are less extreme than previously described. The pigment nonetheless has the ability to degrade cellulosic materials, such as paper.: 137 In terms of identification and reproduction, modern technology and reproducible synthesis procedures have been developed to be used for museums and collections to identify distinct verdigris phases in historical artworks.: 14857 Certain components of historical verdigris pigments, copper(II) acetates, are partially irreproducible based on the given historical recipes.: 14847
"Its pronunciation in English is still unsettled" (Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage (4 ed.) edited by: Jeremy Butterfield). The pronunciation /-ɡriːs/ is the first one given by Merriam-Webster's dictionary, but /-ɡriː/ is first in the Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.) (2015).
"verdigris". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verdigris
Karmakar, Rabindra N. (2015). Forensic medicine and toxicology: theory, oral & practical (5th ed.). Academic Publishers. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-938342054-4. 978-938342054-4
"Poisoning by Verdigris". The Lancet. 39 (1013): 663–664. January 1843. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(02)76992-4. ISSN 0140-6736. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)76992-4
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
"Medical Uses of Copper in Antiquity". Copper Development Association. Retrieved 8 June 2014. http://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/2000/06/medicine-chest.html
Paris, John Ayrton (1831). Pharmacologia. New York: W. E. Dean. The rust of the spear of Telephus, mentioned in Homer as a cure for the wounds which that weapon inflicted, was probably Verdegris, and led to the discovery of its use as a surgical application https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62958
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
De la Roja, José Manuel; San Andrés, Margarita; Cubino, Natalia Sancho; Santos-Gómez, Sonia (2007). "Variations in the colorimetric characteristics of verdigris pictorial films depending on the process used to produce the pigment and the type of binding agent used in applying it". Color Research & Application. 32 (5): 414. doi:10.1002/col.20311. ISSN 0361-2317. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/col.20311
De la Roja, José Manuel; San Andrés, Margarita; Cubino, Natalia Sancho; Santos-Gómez, Sonia (2007). "Variations in the colorimetric characteristics of verdigris pictorial films depending on the process used to produce the pigment and the type of binding agent used in applying it". Color Research & Application. 32 (5): 414. doi:10.1002/col.20311. ISSN 0361-2317. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/col.20311
Verdigris, ColourLex http://colourlex.com/project/verdigris/
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
Santoro, Carlotta; Zarkout, Karim; Le Hô, Anne-Solenn; Mirambet, François; Gourier, Didier; Binet, Laurent; Pagès-Camagna, Sandrine; Reguer, Solenn; Mirabaud, Sigrid; Du, Yann; Griesmar, Pascal; Lubin-Germain, Nadège; Menu, Michel (2014-01-29). "New highlights on degradation process of verdigris from easel paintings". Applied Physics A. 114 (3): 637–645. Bibcode:2014ApPhA.114..637S. doi:10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2. ISSN 0947-8396. S2CID 253847558. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2
Dauthenay, Henri (1905). Répertoire de couleurs pour aider à la détermination des couleurs des fleurs, des feuillages et des fruits. Vol. 2. Paris: Librairie horticole. p. 240. RC2. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k64453604/f94.image
St. Clair, Kassia (2016). The Secret Lives of Colour. London: John Murray. p. 215. ISBN 9781473630819. OCLC 936144129. 9781473630819
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, edited by T. F. Hoad (1996), and Merriam-Webster's dictionary give only this second etymology.
Solomon, Sally D.; Rutkowsky, Susan A.; Mahon, Megan L.; Halpern, Erica M. (2011). "Synthesis of Copper Pigments, Malachite and Verdigris: Making Tempera Paint". Journal of Chemical Education. 88 (12): 1694–1697. Bibcode:2011JChEd..88.1694S. doi:10.1021/ed200096e. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
De la Roja, José Manuel; San Andrés, Margarita; Cubino, Natalia Sancho; Santos-Gómez, Sonia (2007). "Variations in the colorimetric characteristics of verdigris pictorial films depending on the process used to produce the pigment and the type of binding agent used in applying it". Color Research & Application. 32 (5): 414. doi:10.1002/col.20311. ISSN 0361-2317. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/col.20311
Darnton, Robert. "A Bourgeois Puts His World in Order" in The Great Cat Massacre --and other Episodes in French Cultural History. New York: Vintage Books, 1985. p. 114.
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
Solomon, Sally D.; Rutkowsky, Susan A.; Mahon, Megan L.; Halpern, Erica M. (2011). "Synthesis of Copper Pigments, Malachite and Verdigris: Making Tempera Paint". Journal of Chemical Education. 88 (12): 1694–1697. Bibcode:2011JChEd..88.1694S. doi:10.1021/ed200096e. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
Richardson, H. Wayne (2000). "Copper Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi:10.1002/14356007.a07_567. ISBN 3527306730. 3527306730
Fitzgerald, K.P.; Nairn, J.; Atrens, A. (1998). "The chemistry of copper patination". Corrosion Science. 40 (12): 2029–2050. Bibcode:1998Corro..40.2029F. doi:10.1016/s0010-938x(98)00093-6. ISSN 0010-938X. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Sharp, D. W. A: Penguin Dictionary of Chemistry, page 419. Penguin Books, 1990 (2nd edition)
Kühn, Hermann (1970). "Verdigris and Copper Resinate". Studies in Conservation. 15: 12–36. doi:10.1179/sic.1970.15.1.002. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Fitzgerald, K.P.; Nairn, J.; Atrens, A. (1998). "The chemistry of copper patination". Corrosion Science. 40 (12): 2029–2050. Bibcode:1998Corro..40.2029F. doi:10.1016/s0010-938x(98)00093-6. ISSN 0010-938X. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Sharp, D. W. A: Penguin Dictionary of Chemistry, page 419. Penguin Books, 1990 (2nd edition)
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
Santoro, Carlotta; Zarkout, Karim; Le Hô, Anne-Solenn; Mirambet, François; Gourier, Didier; Binet, Laurent; Pagès-Camagna, Sandrine; Reguer, Solenn; Mirabaud, Sigrid; Du, Yann; Griesmar, Pascal; Lubin-Germain, Nadège; Menu, Michel (2014-01-29). "New highlights on degradation process of verdigris from easel paintings". Applied Physics A. 114 (3): 637–645. Bibcode:2014ApPhA.114..637S. doi:10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2. ISSN 0947-8396. S2CID 253847558. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2
"Medical Uses of Copper in Antiquity". Copper Development Association. Retrieved 8 June 2014. http://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/2000/06/medicine-chest.html
Paris, John Ayrton (1831). Pharmacologia. New York: W. E. Dean. The rust of the spear of Telephus, mentioned in Homer as a cure for the wounds which that weapon inflicted, was probably Verdegris, and led to the discovery of its use as a surgical application https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62958
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
De la Roja, José Manuel; San Andrés, Margarita; Cubino, Natalia Sancho; Santos-Gómez, Sonia (2007). "Variations in the colorimetric characteristics of verdigris pictorial films depending on the process used to produce the pigment and the type of binding agent used in applying it". Color Research & Application. 32 (5): 414. doi:10.1002/col.20311. ISSN 0361-2317. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/col.20311
"verdigris". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verdigris
Karmakar, Rabindra N. (2015). Forensic medicine and toxicology: theory, oral & practical (5th ed.). Academic Publishers. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-938342054-4. 978-938342054-4
"Poisoning by Verdigris". The Lancet. 39 (1013): 663–664. January 1843. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(02)76992-4. ISSN 0140-6736. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)76992-4
Women and the Verdigris Industry in Montpellier, European Women and Preindustrial Craft. Project MUSE, Indiana University Press, 1995 https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/3/oa_edited_volume/chapter/3623045/pdf
Fluke (July 7, 2015). "Verdigris removal Via firing". Numista. Retrieved 2024-08-03. https://en.numista.com/forum/topic41034.html
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
Santoro, Carlotta; Zarkout, Karim; Le Hô, Anne-Solenn; Mirambet, François; Gourier, Didier; Binet, Laurent; Pagès-Camagna, Sandrine; Reguer, Solenn; Mirabaud, Sigrid; Du, Yann; Griesmar, Pascal; Lubin-Germain, Nadège; Menu, Michel (2014-01-29). "New highlights on degradation process of verdigris from easel paintings". Applied Physics A. 114 (3): 637–645. Bibcode:2014ApPhA.114..637S. doi:10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2. ISSN 0947-8396. S2CID 253847558. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2
Bette, Sebastian; Kremer, Reinhard K.; Eggert, Gerhard; Tang, Chiu C.; Dinnebier, Robert E. (2017). "On verdigris, part I: synthesis, crystal structure solution and characterisation of the 1–2–0 phase (Cu3(CH3COO)2(OH)4)". Dalton Transactions. 46 (43): 14847–14858. doi:10.1039/c7dt03288a. ISSN 1477-9226. PMID 29043336. https://doi.org/10.1039%2Fc7dt03288a
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
Santoro, Carlotta; Zarkout, Karim; Le Hô, Anne-Solenn; Mirambet, François; Gourier, Didier; Binet, Laurent; Pagès-Camagna, Sandrine; Reguer, Solenn; Mirabaud, Sigrid; Du, Yann; Griesmar, Pascal; Lubin-Germain, Nadège; Menu, Michel (2014-01-29). "New highlights on degradation process of verdigris from easel paintings". Applied Physics A. 114 (3): 637–645. Bibcode:2014ApPhA.114..637S. doi:10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2. ISSN 0947-8396. S2CID 253847558. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2
Bomford, David; Ashok, Roy (2009). A Closer Look at Colour. London: National Gallery, London. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-85709-442-8. 978-1-85709-442-8
St. Clair, Kassia (2016). The Secret Lives of Colour. London: John Murray. p. 215. ISBN 9781473630819. OCLC 936144129. 9781473630819
Santoro, Carlotta; Zarkout, Karim; Le Hô, Anne-Solenn; Mirambet, François; Gourier, Didier; Binet, Laurent; Pagès-Camagna, Sandrine; Reguer, Solenn; Mirabaud, Sigrid; Du, Yann; Griesmar, Pascal; Lubin-Germain, Nadège; Menu, Michel (2014-01-29). "New highlights on degradation process of verdigris from easel paintings". Applied Physics A. 114 (3): 637–645. Bibcode:2014ApPhA.114..637S. doi:10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2. ISSN 0947-8396. S2CID 253847558. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8253-2
St. Clair, Kassia (2016). The Secret Lives of Colour. London: John Murray. p. 215. ISBN 9781473630819. OCLC 936144129. 9781473630819
H. Kühn, Verdigris and Copper Resinate, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1993, p. 131 – 158
Bette, Sebastian; Kremer, Reinhard K.; Eggert, Gerhard; Tang, Chiu C.; Dinnebier, Robert E. (2017). "On verdigris, part I: synthesis, crystal structure solution and characterisation of the 1–2–0 phase (Cu3(CH3COO)2(OH)4)". Dalton Transactions. 46 (43): 14847–14858. doi:10.1039/c7dt03288a. ISSN 1477-9226. PMID 29043336. https://doi.org/10.1039%2Fc7dt03288a
Bette, Sebastian; Kremer, Reinhard K.; Eggert, Gerhard; Tang, Chiu C.; Dinnebier, Robert E. (2017). "On verdigris, part I: synthesis, crystal structure solution and characterisation of the 1–2–0 phase (Cu3(CH3COO)2(OH)4)". Dalton Transactions. 46 (43): 14847–14858. doi:10.1039/c7dt03288a. ISSN 1477-9226. PMID 29043336. https://doi.org/10.1039%2Fc7dt03288a
"Medical Uses of Copper in Antiquity". Copper Development Association. Retrieved 8 June 2014. http://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/2000/06/medicine-chest.html
Paris, John Ayrton (1831). Pharmacologia. New York: W. E. Dean. The rust of the spear of Telephus, mentioned in Homer as a cure for the wounds which that weapon inflicted, was probably Verdegris, and led to the discovery of its use as a surgical application https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62958
"Medical Uses of Copper in Antiquity". Copper Development Association. Retrieved 8 June 2014. http://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/2000/06/medicine-chest.html
Paris, John Ayrton (1831). Pharmacologia. New York: W. E. Dean. The rust of the spear of Telephus, mentioned in Homer as a cure for the wounds which that weapon inflicted, was probably Verdegris, and led to the discovery of its use as a surgical application https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62958
De la Roja, José Manuel; San Andrés, Margarita; Cubino, Natalia Sancho; Santos-Gómez, Sonia (2007). "Variations in the colorimetric characteristics of verdigris pictorial films depending on the process used to produce the pigment and the type of binding agent used in applying it". Color Research & Application. 32 (5): 414. doi:10.1002/col.20311. ISSN 0361-2317. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/col.20311
Benhamou, Reed (1984). "Verdigris and the Entrepreneuse". Technology and Culture. 25 (2): 171–181. doi:10.2307/3104711. ISSN 0040-165X. JSTOR 3104711. S2CID 112614238. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3104711