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PBr7—Burnt Umber

Pigment Type

earth

Chemical Name

iron oxides with manganese silicates or dioxide

Chemical Formula

Fe₂O₃,MnO₂ or Fe₂O₃ + MnO₂ + nH₂O + Si + Al₂O₃

Properties

Burnt Umber is a more intense reddish brown pigment that results from heating the clay pigment Raw Umber. It has medium to excellent tinting strength and high opacity, and it is quick drying in oil form. Burnt Umber is somewhat more transparent than Raw Umber. It has excellent color properties and can create a variety of subtle, clear tints when mixed with white. It can tend towards chalkiness in dark mixes in oil form, but overall it mixes well with other colors. To create a black color in oil form, mix Burnt Umber with Phthalo Blue or Ultramarine. To achieve a similar color in watercolor form, mix it with Ultramarine or Payne's Gray.

Permanence

Burnt Umber has good permanence.

Toxicity

Burnt Umber itself is considered non-toxic. If contaminated by manganese compounds, it may be highly toxic if inhaled and moderately toxic if ingested.

History

This pigment gets its name from the Latin word umbra, meaning shadow or shade. Its full name is listed as terra di ombra, meaning earth of shadow/shade, due to its original extraction from the area of Umbria, Italy. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. Currently, the finest umber comes from Cyprus.

Alternate Names

Chestnut Brown, Euchrome, Jacaranda Brown, Mars Brown, Mineral Brown, Raw Brown, Spanish Brown, Van Dyke Umber. Cyprus Umber, Turkey Brown, and Turkey Umber are the best quality umbers.