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 After 1800, Naples yellow was superseded by chrome yellow (lead chromate) cadmium sulfide, and cobalt yellow.[1]