Naples yellow
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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]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp Naples yellow was used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, finding widespread application during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.[2]Template:Rp Prior to its earliest occurrences in European paintings, the pigment was commonly employed in pottery, glazes, enamels, and glass.[2]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp[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]Template:Rp 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 After 1800, Naples yellow was superseded by chrome yellow (lead chromate) cadmium sulfide, and cobalt yellow.[1]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
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]Template:Rp Traces of Naples yellow have been discovered on glass fragments, glazed bricks, and glazed tiles from these ancient civilizations.[2]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp The pigment then started to appear in European paintings, and between 1750 and 1850, when it achieved greater popularity in the art world.[2]Template:Rp "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]Template:Rp By 1850, Naples yellow was sold in a variety of shades, such as French Naples yellow.[2]Template:RpManufacturers like C. Roberson and Co. produced Naples yellow until 1885.[2]Template:Rp However, its popularity declined and it was progressively replaced by other yellow pigments like lead chromate and cadmium sulfide.[2]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp
Visual characteristics
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]Template:Rp Some manufacturers also note that there are six different shades of Naples yellow, ranging from a greenish yellow to a pinkish orange yellow.[2]Template:Rp
Permanence
Naples yellow is not a stable pigment.[4]Template:Rp It is susceptible to discoloration in humid air. George Field warned that Naples yellow can turn black.[4]Template:Rp Naples yellow can also discolor in the presence of iron.[2]Template:Rp Field therefore advised artists to use a palette knife made of ivory or horn, not metal.[4]Template:Rp
Notable occurrences
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]Template:Rp 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]Template:Rp The earliest occurrence of Naples yellow in European art is Matthias Stom's Arrest of Christ.[2]Template:Rp
See also
References
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- ↑ 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
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Literature
- 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
- Naples yellow, ColourLex
- List of colors
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