The Evolution of Yellow Pigments from Ancient Egyptians to early Europeans

The Evolution of Yellow Pigments from Ancient Egyptians to early Europeans

The first pigments used by ancient Egyptians were few in number and said to be from the family of primary colors we consider today. The first hues of yellow in Egyptian society/culture are believed to have been composed of the oxide of iron with alumina, lime and water. The resulting yellow resembled a dull colored and fadeless clay. As their society developed so did their colors. Soon, alternate hues of yellow were made out of more advanced materials: arsenic was key to brighter artificially produced yellows called orpiment, golden tones were due to chrisolite or glass with copper oxide.

“Prayer Book Leaves in Arabic and Coptic Script Leaf with Saint Theodore”

Yellow was important in Egyptian art in that gods were painted in a yellowish gold color. One of the earliest Egyptian paintings by the name of “Prayer Book Leaves in Arabic and Coptic Script Leaf with Saint Theodore” depicts a man on a yellow horse surrounded by other limited hues of green, purple, black, red and blue. Created in the 18^thcentury, it is one of the first examples of the use of yellow in ancient Egypt known to date. 

“Coffin of Pashedkhonsu”

Another piece of art titled “Coffin of Pashedkhonsu” exposes the much more vivid uses of yellow in Egyptian history. the yellow varnish that shimmers on the wooden structure gives off a golden effect that was reserved for only those that were high up on the social structure (i.e. The gods and priests). For the most part, the creation of pigments was left to the monks working in monasteries who added gum arabic as a medium to produce colored inks and watercolor paints.

As previously mentioned, the progression of hues or pigments used by ancient Egyptians started with ochres or agglomerates of fine yellow to brown. These mixtures are scientifically known as weakly birefringent. King’s yellow also known as orpiment was the next advancement for Egyptians. Variations of both via use of iron oxides and lead derivatives allowed for a greater variability of hues. For example, lead-tin yellow which is an oxide was characterized by its light-yellow pigment. Yet there are two types of lead-tin yellow compositions worth distinguishing from one another, the only difference being the latter contains added silicon. Both are obtained by heating red lead and tin-oxide to extreme temperatures between 650 to 800 degrees Celsius. It is important to note that warmer hues are created from lower temperatures whereas bright hues result from higher temperatures. By the end of the 18^thcentury lead-tin yellows had become less popular in favor of Naples yellow which used lead antimonate as its main ingredient. Its hue was considered yellowish orange depending on the proportions of antimony and lead used. In ancient Egypt Naples Yellow was mostly used for colored glass and glazes instead of for painting. Next in the line of succession of colors came chrome yellow commonly known around the world by a variety of other names. The first versions (unlike initial versions of Naples yellow) were non-permanent color that tended to change when exposed to light. As technologies advanced and discoveries continued, increasingly more uses, hues and types of yellow emerged. In the 19^thcentury more organic forms of yellow color were extracted for use. A yellow dye from the unripe buckthorn berries was found in much of central Europe at the time. Other yellow dyes originating from natural sources throughout Europe was the American oak species, the dyer’s broom plant, fustic and saffron which were used readily to tint fabrics and sometimes watercolor paintings. Lastly, Indian yellow made from mango-rich cow urine was fundamentally imported into Britain from India. Its main uses amongst the arts was painting however it has now been banned from practice probably due to the cruel diet imposed on the cows and their cultural significance in India.

Works Cited

“Colors of Ancient Egypt.” JSTOR, Scientific American , 16 Dec. 1893, www.jstor.org/stable/26110863?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=yellow&searchText=pigment&searchText=in&searchText=ancient&searchText=egypt&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3Fwc%3Don%26amp%3BQuery%3Dyellow%2Bpigment%2Bin%2Bancient%2Begypt%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff&refreqid=search%3Ab60632ef52dd8555b28361aaab0c0c01&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.

Groen, Karin. Off-Campus Access: Login, Oxford University Press , 2003, www.oxfordartonline.com.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:2048/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000067586?rskey=Gexd44&result=1#oao-9781884446054-e-7000067586-div1-7000067616.

“Prayer Book Leaves in Arabic and Coptic Script.” Off-Campus Access: Login, Unknown, library.artstor.org.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:2048/library/iv2.html?parent=true.

Susanne P. Sack, et al. “A Technical Examination of an Ancient Egyptian Painting on Canvas.” JSTOR, Feb. 1981, www.jstor.org/stable/1505817?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=yellow&searchText=pigment&searchText=in&searchText=ancient&searchText=egypt&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3Fwc%3Don%26amp%3BQuery%3Dyellow%2Bpigment%2Bin%2Bancient%2Begypt%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff&seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents.

Prayer Book Leaves in Arabic and Coptic Script, Leaf with Saint Theodore, Full view. early 18th century. Portland State University Library Special Collections. http://library.artstor.org.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:2048/asset/SS7730958_7730958_10566095. Web. 23 May 2018.