Rembrandt Soft Pastel - Blue Violet 548.2, Full Stick

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PV16-Manganese Violet

PB29-Ultramarine [Blue]

PBk6-Lamp Black

Pigment Name

PV16-Manganese Violet

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

manganese ammonium pyrophosphate

Chemical Formula

(NH4)2Mn2(P2O7)2 - Mn3(PO4)2 * 3H2O or H4O7P2H3NMn

Properties

Manganese Violet is a semi-transparent, bluish-violet pigment with a discrete opacity and low tinting strength. It is the reddest of the violets, and it covers and dries well in oil and tempera. It also performs well in pastel, encaustic, and watercolor. Manganese Violet is not well suited for fresco or acrylic painting. There can be significant differences in color across brands. It shares similar properties with bluish shades of Cobalt Violet.

Permanence

Manganese Violet has excellent permanence and lightfastness, and it is one of the most lightfast, balanced violets in watercolor form.

Toxicity

Manganese Violet is highly toxic if inhaled and moderately toxic if ingested.

History

This pigment was developed in 1868 by E. Leykauf to replace the more expensive Cobalt Violet. It was not offered as an artists’ pigment until 1890.

Pigment Name

PB29-Ultramarine [Blue]

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

complex silicate of sodium and aluminum with sulfur

Chemical Formula

Na8-10Al6Si6O24S2-4 or Na6-8Al6Si6O24S2-4

Properties

Ultramarine is the standard warm blue, a brilliant blue pigment that has the most purple and least green in its undertone. It has a moderate to high tinting strength and a beautiful transparency. Synthetic Ultramarine is not as vivid a blue as natural Ultramarine. Ultramarine dries slowly in oil and tends to produce clean, though granular, washes in watercolor. French Ultramarine mixes well with Alizarin colors in oil and watercolor form to create a range of purples and violets. It can dull when mixed with white in acrylic form, but mixes well with other colors. The shade varies based on manufacturer. Considered a great color for glazes, it is not suitable for frescoing.

Permanence

Ultramarine has excellent permanence, although synthetic Ultramarine is not as permanent as natural Ultramarine. It may discolor if exposed to acid because of its sulfuric content.

Toxicity

Ultramarine has no significant hazards.

History

The name for this pigment comes from the Middle Latin ultra, meaning beyond, and mare, meaning sea, because it was imported from Asia to Europe by sea. It is a prominent component of lapis lazuli and was used on Asian temples starting in the 6th century. It was one of the most expensive pigments in 16th century Europe, worth twice its weight in gold, and so was used sparingly and when commissions were larger. Ultramarine is currently imitated by a process invented in France in 1826 by Jean Baptiste Guimet, making blue affordable to artists and extending the range of colors on their palettes.

Pigment Name

PBk6-Lamp Black

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

carbon

Chemical Formula

C

Properties

Lamp black is a very opaque, heavily staining black pigment that does not have much covering power. It is typically the most opaque black in watercolor form. Though a very pure black, it tends to muddy slightly in mixtures, is one of the slowest drying pigments in oils, and should not be used under other colors.

Permanence

Lamp Black is very lightfast and absolutely permanent. It is used in all techniques in permanent painting.

Toxicity

Lamp Black is slightly toxic by skin contact and inhalation. It is a possible human carcinogen.

History

Lamp Black is a carbon based black traditionally produced by collecting soot (known as lampblack) from oil lamps. It is the black found in Egyptian murals and tomb decorations and was the most popular black for frescoing until the development of Mars Black.