Pigments
Coloured powders ground into paint, ink, plaster and glaze.
#FFFF00
Yellow
A primary colour between green and orange, seen in sunlight, leaves, and pigmentsBasic colour · 🇫🇷 France +5
Blue
Lapis lazuli
A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5
Green
Malachite
A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4
Red
Cinnabar
A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5
Brown
Terracotta
A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +4
Blue
Azurite
A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment · 🇫🇷 France +5
White
Zinc oxide
A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment · 🇮🇳 India +2
Brown
Aniline
A colourless oil that darkens with air and launched the first synthetic dyesPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany
#CC7722
Ochre
A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5
Blue
Indigo
A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye · 🇮🇳 India +5
Yellow
Orpiment
A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
Blue
Methylene blue
A synthetic blue dye and medicine first made in 1876Dye
#003153
Prussian blue
A deep blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early 1700sPigment · 🇯🇵 Japan
#120A8F
Ultramarine
A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2
Red
Realgar
An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5
#E25822
Scarlet
A bright red with a touch of orange, long tied to power, sacrifice and sinNamed shade · 🇹🇷 Turkey +4
Red
Carmine
A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment · 🇫🇷 France +2
#E34234
Vermilion
A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5
Black
India ink
A deep black ink made from carbon soot, used for writing, drawing and calligraphyPigment · 🇨🇳 China +1
Yellow
Tartrazine
A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye
#E32636
Alizarin
A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye · 🇹🇷 Turkey +1
Black
Carbon black
A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment
#50C878
Paris Green
A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +4
#704214
Sepia
A reddish-brown colour named for the ink of the cuttlefishNamed shade
Black
Vantablack
A super-black coating made from carbon nanotubes that absorbs nearly all visible lightPigment
Purple and violet
Crystal violet
A synthetic purple dye used in science, medicine, and industryDye
#0047AB
Cobalt blue
A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment · 🇫🇷 France +3
Green
Malachite green
A synthetic green dye once common for silk, now controversial in aquacultureDye · 🇨🇳 China +3
Pink and magenta
Basic fuchsine
A magenta dye used in biology and textile staining since the 19th centuryPigment
#43B3AE
Verdigris
A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1
#1034A6
Egyptian blue
A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
Black
Bone char
A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment
#801818
Falu redfalu rödfärg
A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2
#8A3324
Umber
A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment · 🇨🇾 Cyprus +2
#3D2B1F
Bistre
A dark brown pigment and colour made from soot, once used in Old Master drawingsPigment
#007BA7
Cerulean
A blue-green colour once made from cobalt stannate and linked with the skyNamed shade · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
#E97451
Sienna
A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment · 🇫🇷 France
Green
Scheele's green
A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment
#E49B0F
Gamboge
A strong yellow pigment tapped from Southeast Asian treesPigment · 🇰🇭 Cambodia +5
#40826D
Viridian
A blue-green pigment made from hydrated chromium oxide, valued in painting since the 1800sPigment
#E3A857
Indian Yellow
A clear, glowing orange-yellow pigment once made in India from cow urinePigment · 🇮🇳 India
#FADA5E
Naples yellow
A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1
#FFA700
Chrome yellow
A bright yellow pigment made from lead chromate, once popular in art and industryPigment
#73C2FB
Maya blueazul maya
A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment · 🇲🇽 Mexico +1
#006B3C
Cadmium pigments
A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment
Red
Lacलाक्षा
A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5
#0033CC
International Klein Blue
A deep blue made famous by Yves Klein's art and a special synthetic binderNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France
#824B27
Mummy brown
A transparent brown pigment once made from ground Egyptian mummiesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bistre: The original uploader was Jean-no at French Wikipedia ., Public domain, source
- Sienna: DanielCD~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Umber: Gixie, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cadmium pigments: Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gamboge: Maša Sinreih in Valentina Vivod, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Indigo: Photo by Evan Izer ( Palladian ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Maya blue: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Paris Green: Chris goulet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Viridian: Josh814, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lac: Jeffrey W. Lotz, CC BY 3.0, source
- Aniline: Smokefoot, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- International Klein Blue: Yves Klein, Public domain, source
- Mummy brown: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carbon black: FK1954, Public domain, source
- Vantablack: Surrey NanoSystems, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Malachite: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zinc oxide: Andrew Silver, USGS, Public domain, source
- Realgar: Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Orpiment: Ra'ike, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Scheele's green: Georg Friedrich Kersting, Public domain, source
- Carmine: Stephhzz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bone char: Honza Groh ( Jagro ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tartrazine: Buli, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- India ink: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Azurite: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Basic fuchsine: LHcheM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Methylene blue: Amanda Slater, Flickr user amandabhslater, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ultramarine: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Terracotta: anonymous, CC0, source
- Cinnabar: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lapis lazuli: Adam Ognisty, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Crystal violet: Richard Masoner, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Scarlet: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Vermilion: عُثمان, CC0, source
- Alizarin: M. Girard - University of Kansas, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Falu red: Moralist, Public domain, source
- Ochre: Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Naples yellow: Matthias Stom, Public domain, source
- Indian Yellow: Shisha-Tom, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Yellow: Mark Robinson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chrome yellow: FK1954, CC0, source
- Verdigris: No machine-readable author provided. Nartoun assumed (based on copyrig, Public domain, source
- Cerulean: Stephhzz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cobalt blue: FK1954, Public domain, source
- Egyptian blue: Bairuilong, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Prussian blue: Picture created by publunch, Public domain, source
- Sepia: Santiago Perdigó, Public domain, source