Naples yellow
| Naples Yellow | |
|---|---|
 Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #FADA5E |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (250, 218, 94) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (48°, 62%, 98%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (88, 81, 70°) |
| Source | ISCC-NBS |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Brilliant yellow |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
Naples yellow, also called antimony yellow or lead antimonate yellow, is an inorganic pigment that largely replaced lead-tin-yellow and has been used in European paintings since the seventeenth century.[1][2]: 219 While the mineral orpiment is considered to be the oldest yellow pigment, Naples yellow, like Egyptian blue, is one of the oldest known synthetic pigments.[3][2]: 219 Naples yellow was used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, finding widespread application during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.[2]: 221 Prior to its earliest occurrences in European paintings, the pigment was commonly employed in pottery, glazes, enamels, and glass.[2]: 225 The pigment ranged in hue from a muted, earthy, reddish yellow to a bright light yellow.
A Latin treatise from the late 17th century by Andrea Pozzo referred to the pigment as luteolum napolitanum, which is the first recorded use of the term "Naples yellow"; its English name first appeared in print in 1738.[4]: 76 [5] Naples yellow originally referred to the chemical compound lead antimonate (Pb2Sb2O7), but by the middle of the nineteenth century, a majority of manufacturers had stopped producing pure lead antimonate.[2]: 219 Since then, writers and artists have incorrectly used Naples yellow to refer to other lead-based yellows.[6] The related mineral of lead antimonate is bindheimite. However, this natural version was rarely employed as a pigment. After 1800, Naples yellow was superseded by chrome yellow (lead chromate) cadmium sulfide, and cobalt yellow.[1]
History
[edit]Naples yellow is one of the earliest synthetic pigments, its earliest uses dating from the period between the sixteenth and fourteenth century BC in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.[2]: 219 Traces of Naples yellow have been discovered on glass fragments, glazed bricks, and glazed tiles from these ancient civilizations.[2]: 221 Since its basic components, such as lead oxide and antimony oxide, had to be chemically manufactured, its early production would have required a high level of knowledge and skill.[4]: 77 Early color theorists speculated that Naples yellow had originated from Naples or Italy's Mount Vesuvius.[5] It was not until the late eighteenth century that Naples yellow was generally recognized as a synthetic pigment of lead antimonate.[5]
The Italians first adopted Naples yellow as an enamel for tin-glazed pottery, or maiolica, from the beginning of the sixteenth century.[2]: 221 The pigment then started to appear in European paintings, and between 1750 and 1850, when it achieved greater popularity in the art world.[2]: 226 "Naples yellow" was a phrase that was first used in a treatise on frescos by Andrea Pozzo, published in Rome between 1693 and 1700. There, Pozzo refers to Naples yellow as luteolum napolitanum.[4]: 76 By 1850, Naples yellow was sold in a variety of shades, such as French Naples yellow.[2]: 223 Manufacturers like C. Roberson and Co. produced Naples yellow until 1885.[2]: 231 However, its popularity declined and it was progressively replaced by other yellow pigments like lead chromate and cadmium sulfide.[2]: 226 Manufacturers today typically produce Naples yellow in combination with other pigments, such as ochre, iron oxide, lead white, titanium white, or zinc white, rather than pure lead antimonate.[2]: 245
Visual characteristics
[edit]Naples yellow is a saturated yellow, occasionally with pink or off-white hues.[8] It has a strong hiding power and effectively covers other pigments.[8] Temperature during production affects its hue. A more vibrant lemon-yellow is produced at higher temperatures, whereas an orange-yellow is produced at lower temperatures.[2]: 227 Some manufacturers also note that there are six different shades of Naples yellow, ranging from a greenish yellow to a pinkish orange yellow.[2]: 227
Permanence
[edit]Naples yellow is not a stable pigment.[4]: 76 It is susceptible to discoloration in humid air. George Field warned that Naples yellow can turn black.[4]: 77 Naples yellow can also discolor in the presence of iron.[2]: 227 Field therefore advised artists to use a palette knife made of ivory or horn, not metal.[4]: 77
Notable occurrences
[edit]Naples yellow was frequently used in ancient times to glaze pottery and glass. A piece of glass from the site of Amenhotep II's palace at Thebes (now at the Victoria and Albert Museum) is one of the earliest known examples.[2]: 248 Naples yellow has frequently appeared on the palettes of European painters such as Anton Raphael Mengs, Francisco Goya, Jacques-Louis-David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Eugène Delacroix, and Paul Cézanne.[2]: 245 The earliest occurrence of Naples yellow in European art is Matthias Stom's Arrest of Christ.[2]: 223
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Robin J. H. Clark; Lucas Cridland; Benson M. Kariuki; Kenneth D. M. Harris; Robert Withnall (1995). "Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Raman Spectroscopy of the Inorganic Pigments Lead Tin Yellow Types I and II and Lead Antimonate Yellow: Their Identification on Medieval Paintings and Manuscripts". Journal of the Chemical Society, Dalton Transactions (16): 2577–2582. doi:10.1039/DT9950002577.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Wainwright, Ian. N. M; Taylor, John M.; Harley, Rosamond D. (1986). "Lead Antimonate Yellow". Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of their History and Characteristics, vol. 1 (R. L. Feller ed.). Washington: National Gallery of Art. pp. 219–254.
- ^ Völz, Hans G.; et al. (2006). "Pigments, Inorganic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a20_243.pub2. ISBN 3-527-30673-0.
- ^ a b c d e f St. Clair, Kassia (2017). "Naples Yellow". The Secret Lives of Color. New York, New York: Penguin Books. pp. 76–77.
- ^ a b c Maerz and Paul. A Dictionary of Color New York: McGraw-Hill, 1930, p. 205; Color Sample of Naples Yellow: Page 43, Plate 10, Color Sample F3
- ^ Eastaugh, Nicholas (2004). The Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments. Boston: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 273.
- ^ Ivanov, S. A.; Zavodnik, V. E. (1990). "Crystal structure of lead antimonate Pb2Sb2O7". Kristallografiya. 35: 842–p846.
- ^ a b Pastoureau, Michel (2019). Yellow: The History of a Color. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 152.
Literature
[edit]- Wainwright, I.N.M., Taylor, J.M. and Harley, R.D. Lead Antimonate yellow, in Artists' Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 1: Feller, R.L. (Ed.) Oxford University Press 1986, p. 219 – 254
External links
[edit]- Naples yellow, ColourLex
- List of colors