Naples yellow

Short description: Lead-antimonate inorganic pigment used in paintings

Naples Yellow

Color coordinates
Hex triplet| #FADA5E
Source| ISCC-NBS[1]
ISCC–NBS descriptor| Brilliant yellow

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.[2][3]: 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.[4][3]: 219 Naples yellow was used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, finding widespread application during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.[3]: 221 Prior to its earliest occurrences in European paintings, the pigment was commonly employed in pottery, glazes, enamels, and glass.[3]: 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.[5]: 76 [6] 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.[3]: 219 Since then, writers and artists have incorrectly used Naples yellow to refer to other lead-based yellows.[7] 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 After 1800, Naples yellow was superseded by chrome yellow (lead chromate) cadmium sulfide, and cobalt yellow.[2]

Portion of the dilead antimonate (Pb2Sb2O7) structure (black = Pb, violet = Sb, red = O). This structure illustrates the complex, polymeric nature of many inorganic pigments.[8]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Visual characteristics
* 3 Permanence
* 4 Notable occurrences
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 Literature
* 8 External links

## 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.[3]: 219 Traces of Naples yellow have been discovered on glass fragments, glazed bricks, and glazed tiles from these ancient civilizations.[3]: 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.[5]: 77 Early color theorists speculated that Naples yellow had originated from Naples or Italy's Mount Vesuvius.[6] It was not until the late eighteenth century that Naples yellow was generally recognized as a synthetic pigment of lead antimonate.[6]

The Italians first adopted Naples yellow as an enamel for tin-glazed pottery, or maiolica, from the beginning of the sixteenth century.[3]: 221 The pigment then started to appear in European paintings, and between 1750 and 1850, when it achieved greater popularity in the art world.[3]: 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.[5]: 76 By 1850, Naples yellow was sold in a variety of shades, such as French Naples yellow.[3]: 223 Manufacturers like C. Roberson and Co. produced Naples yellow until 1885.[3]: 231 However, its popularity declined and it was progressively replaced by other yellow pigments like lead chromate and cadmium sulfide.[3]: 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.[3]: 245

Adriaen van der Werff, Entombment of Christ, 1703\. An early European painting that used Naples yellow.[3]: 246

## Visual characteristics

Naples yellow is a saturated yellow, occasionally with pink or off-white hues.[9] It has a strong hiding power and effectively covers other pigments.[9] 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.[3]: 227 Some manufacturers also note that there are six different shades of Naples yellow, ranging from a greenish yellow to a pinkish orange yellow.[3]: 227

## Permanence

Naples yellow is not a stable pigment.[5]: 76 It is susceptible to discoloration in humid air. George Field warned that Naples yellow can turn black.[5]: 77 Naples yellow can also discolor in the presence of iron.[3]: 227 Field therefore advised artists to use a palette knife made of ivory or horn, not metal.[5]: 77

Matthias Stom, The Arrest of Christ, c. 1630–1632. The earliest occurrence of Naples yellow in European painting.

## 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.[3]: 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.[3]: 245 The earliest occurrence of Naples yellow in European art is Matthias Stom's Arrest of Christ.[3]: 223

## See also

* List of inorganic pigments

## References

1. ↑ "Retsof online version of ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Colo(u)r Names - Na through Nz". November 22, 2012. http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-n.htm.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 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.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 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.
4. ↑ Völz, Hans G. (2006). Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a20_243.pub2. ISBN 3-527-30673-0.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 St. Clair, Kassia (2017). "Naples Yellow". The Secret Lives of Color. New York, New York: Penguin Books. pp. 76–77.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 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
7. ↑ Eastaugh, Nicholas (2004). The Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments. Boston: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 273.
8. ↑ Ivanov, S. A.; Zavodnik, V. E. (1990). "Crystal structure of lead antimonate Pb2Sb2O7". Kristallografiya 35: 842–p846.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Pastoureau, Michel (2019). Yellow: The History of a Color. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 152.

## 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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Shades of yellow

| Amber| Apricot| Arylide yellow| Aureolin| Beige| Buff| Champagne| Chartreuse| Citron| Citrine

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Cosmic latte| Cream| Dark goldenrod| Ecru| Flax| Gamboge| Gold| Gold (metallic)| Goldenrod| Harvest gold
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ivory| Jasmine| Jonquil| Khaki| Lemon chiffon| Lemon-lime| Light yellow| Lion| Maize| Mikado yellow
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Mindaro| Mustard| Naples yellow| Navajo white| Old gold| Papaya whip| Peach-yellow| Pear| Saffron| School bus yellow
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Selective yellow| Stil de grain yellow| Straw| Sunglow| Sunset| Vanilla| Wheat| Yellow
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A typical sample is shown for each name; a range of color-variations is commonly associated with each color-name.

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