Naples yellow

Naples Yellow
 
About these coordinates     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°)
SourceISCC-NBS
ISCC–NBS descriptorBrilliant 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 After 1800, Naples yellow was superseded by chrome yellow (lead chromate) cadmium sulfide, and cobalt yellow.[1]

Portion of the dilead antimonate (Pb2Sb2O7) structure (black = Pb, violet = Sb, red = O). This structure illustrates the complex, polymeric nature of many inorganic pigments.[7]
  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b c d e 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.
  3. ^ Völz, Hans G.; et al. (2006). "Pigments, Inorganic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a20_243.pub2. ISBN 3-527-30673-0.
  4. ^ St. Clair, Kassia (2017). "Naples Yellow". The Secret Lives of Color. New York, New York: Penguin Books. pp. 76–77.
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Eastaugh, Nicholas (2004). The Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments. Boston: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 273.
  7. ^ Ivanov, S. A.; Zavodnik, V. E. (1990). "Crystal structure of lead antimonate Pb2Sb2O7". Kristallografiya. 35: 842–p846.