Colours of ceramics and glass
Glazes, enamels, stained glass and porcelain.
Blue
Lapis lazuli
A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5
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
#CC7722
Ochre
A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5
Yellow
Orpiment
A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
#120A8F
Ultramarine
A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2
#E34234
Vermilion
A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5
Black
Carbon black
A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment
#0047AB
Cobalt blue
A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment · 🇫🇷 France +3
#43B3AE
Verdigris
A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1
Green
Celadon青瓷
A jade-green ceramic glaze prized in East Asian pottery for centuriesNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China +4
#8A3324
Umber
A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment · 🇨🇾 Cyprus +2
#FFA700
Chrome yellow
A bright yellow pigment made from lead chromate, once popular in art and industryPigment
#006B3C
Cadmium pigments
A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment
Red
Sang de boeuf glaze郎窑红
A deep red porcelain glaze first made in early 18th-century ChinaNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China +1
#FFFEEF
Titanium white
A bright white pigment made from titanium dioxide, valued for its strong coveragePigment · 🇺🇸 United States +1
White
Lead white
A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment · 🇨🇳 China +2
Grey
Hematite
A mineral iron oxide, black to red, used since prehistory as a pigment and oreColour named from nature · 🇿🇦 South Africa +5
#86A1A9
Tourmalineටෝරමල්ලි
A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature · 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka +5
Black
Onyx
A banded stone, usually black and white, prized for carving and jewelleryColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5
White
Barium sulfate
A dense, white mineral used in pigments, X-rays, and industryPigment
Brown
Goethite
A yellowish to reddish brown mineral used as a pigment since ancient timesPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +3
Red
Iron(III) oxide
A deep red iron compound found in hematite and used as pigment and polishPigment
Black
Manganese dioxide
A black-brown mineral oxide used in batteries, pigments, and chemical reactionsPigment
White
Antimony trioxide
A white antimony compound used in flame retardants and glassmakingPigment · 🇨🇳 China +4
Green
Chromium(III) oxide
A strong green pigment and polishing compound made from chromium orePigment
Green
Glauconite
A soft green mineral used as a pigment and in fertilisersColour named from nature · 🇧🇷 Brazil +2
#020D15
Gunmetal
A dark copper alloy once used for casting guns and now valued for its strength and finishNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States
White
Barium metaborate
A white or clear inorganic compound used in optics and as a pigmentPigment
#0014A8
Zaffre
A deep blue pigment once made by roasting cobalt orePigment
Purple and violet
Purple of Cassius
A purple pigment made by reacting gold salts with tin(II) chloridePigment
#003399
Cobalt glass
A deep blue glass coloured with cobalt compounds, used in art and decoration for centuriesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +2
Yellow
Attic ochre
A prized bright yellow ochre once mined near Athens for art and fine decorationPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece
Yellow
Golden ochre
A warm yellow pigment rich in iron, prized since ancient times for its pure colourPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +2
Yellow
Lead ochrebleiocker
A group of yellow, orange and red lead-based pigments resembling ochrePigment
Blue
Azure spar
A partly obsolete name for several bright blue ornamental mineralsNamed shade
#ACE1AF
Celadon
A pale greyish green named after prized Asian ceramicsNamed shade · 🇯🇵 Japan
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- 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
- Tourmaline: Aurelienreys, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Celadon: Vassil, Public domain, source
- Lead white: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Titanium white: Arthur Dove, Public domain, source
- Onyx: Simon Eugster -- Simon 14:41, 11 April 2006 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Carbon black: FK1954, Public domain, source
- Manganese dioxide: Dxz2019, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zinc oxide: Andrew Silver, USGS, Public domain, source
- Barium sulfate: de:Benutzer:the-viewer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Orpiment: Ra'ike, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Glauconite: Licks-rocks, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chromium(III) oxide: Solid State, Public domain, source
- Barium metaborate: Totalirus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Goethite: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Iron(III) oxide: BXXXD, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Azurite: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sang de boeuf glaze: WAN233, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cobalt glass: Unknown author, Public domain, 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
- Golden ochre: Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Attic ochre: ArchaiOptix, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lead ochre: Hubertus Giefers, Public domain, source
- Azure spar: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Vermilion: عُثمان, CC0, source
- Ochre: Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chrome yellow: FK1954, CC0, source
- Verdigris: No machine-readable author provided. Nartoun assumed (based on copyrig, Public domain, source
- Cobalt blue: FK1954, Public domain, source