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Naples Yellow
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.^[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 After 1800, Naples yellow was superseded by chrome yellow (lead chromate) cadmium sulfide, and cobalt yellow.^[2]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]

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]^: 223Manufacturers 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

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

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

References

^ "Retsof online version of ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Colo(u)r Names - Na through Nz". November 22, 2012. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012.
^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t 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.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f St. Clair, Kassia (2017). "Naples Yellow". The Secret Lives of Color. New York, New York: Penguin Books. pp. 76–77.
^ ^a ^b ^c 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
^ Eastaugh, Nicholas (2004). The Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments. Boston: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 273.
^ Ivanov, S. A.; Zavodnik, V. E. (1990). "Crystal structure of lead antimonate Pb₂Sb₂O₇". Kristallografiya. 35: 842–p846.
^ ^a ^b 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