Characteristics: A warm red-brown that's transparent and excellent for glazing.
Common Names: -.
Color Index Name: PBr 7.
(Color Index Explained)
Color Index Number: 77492.
Pigment Origin: Calcined (heated/roasted) raw sienna (an earth pigment that's a mixture of iron oxide and silica).
Used for Painting Since: Raw sienna has been used since prehistoric times; burnt sienna was popularized by Italian artists in the Renaissance.
Opacity/Transparency: Transparent.
(Opacity Explained)
Tinting Ability: Low.
(Tinting explained)
Lightfastness Rating: ASTM I.
(Lightfastness explained)
Oil Paint Drying Speed: Fairly fast.
Specific Notes:
- A relatively inexpensive pigment.
- Tends to darken with age, particularly as an oil paint pigment.
- Slight variations in hue can occur between brands.
Quotes About This Pigment:
"Little changed in the first millennium AD with regard to colours and it was the rebirth of artistry that fuelled new pigment development from the fourteenth century. The Italians further developed the range of earth pigments by roasting siennas and umbers to make the dep rich red of Burnt Sienna and the rich brown of Burnt umber. Earth colours featured heavily in their painting technique." -- Simon Jennings, Artist's Colour Manual, p13.
"Among the ochres (iron oxides) that have been employed since time beyond record, those from the Tuscan city of Sienna gained special respect during the Renaissance. Raw sienna is a yellowish pigment; roasted to become burnt sienna, it takes on a warm brownish-red shade." -- Philip Ball, Bright Earth, p151.
