This article is about the color. For other uses, see Vermilion (disambiguation).
| Vermilion (Cinnabar) |
| Color coordinates |
| Hex triplet |
#E34234 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) |
(227, 66, 52) |
| CMYKH (c, m, y, k) |
(0, 71, 77, 11) |
| HSV (h, s, v) |
(5°, 77%, 89%) |
| Source |
Maerz and Paul[1] |
B:Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H:Normalized to [0–100] (hundred) |
Vermilion is an opaque red pigment prepared from the mineral cinnabar, as well as the name of the resulting color. The pigment has been in use around the world for many thousands of years.[2] The first recorded use of vermilion as a color name in English was in 1289.[3] The first recorded use of cinnabar as a color name (the color name "cinnabar" is a synonym for vermilion) in English was in 1382.[4] Most naturally produced vermilion comes from cinnabar mined in China, and vermilion is nowadays commonly called 'China red'.[5] The name 'vermilion' is derived from the French vermeil (indicating any red dye), from Latin vermiculum, the ancient insect dye from Kermes vermilio.[6] Words for red hues in Portuguese (vermelho) and Catalan (vermell) arose similarly. 'Cinnabar' and 'vermilion' were used interchangeably to describe either the natural or manufactured pigment until the 17th century when vermilion became the more common name. By the late 18th century 'cinnabar' applied to the unground natural mineral only.
The chemical structure of the pigment is HgS mercuric sulfide; like most mercury compounds it is toxic. Vermilion is now produced by reacting mercury with molten sulfur. Mercuric sulfides offer a range of warm hues – from bright orange-red to a duller bluish-red. Differences in hue arise via the size of the ground particles of pigment. Larger crystals produce duller and less-orange hue. It is now theorized that coarser, duller "Chinese" forms of vermilion will prove to be more permanent than the more orange "French" variety.[citation needed] It is also theorized that purification of any such pigment benefits its general stability.[citation needed] For safety reasons the use of vermilion has recently been replaced (in some applications) with cadmium red, yielding a similar range of hues, although cadmium carries severe hazards of its own.
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Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Modern day
- 3 Variations of vermilion
- 3.1 Red-orange
- 3.2 Orange-red
- 3.3 Medium vermilion
- 3.4 Chinese red
- 4 Vermilion in nature
- 5 Vermilion and its variations in human culture
- 6 See also
- 7 Notes
- 8 References
- 9 External links
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History
A traditional shop selling Sindoor (Vermilion) in the Hindu pilgrimage town of Pushkar, Rajasthan
Vermilion Box in Shimla Museum, Himachal Pradesh
Vermilion, historical dye collection, Technical University of Dresden, Germany
Before the invention of writing, cinnabar pigments were used by humans. This is evidenced across the Old World, east (China, India (as Sindoor)) to west (Spain). As minium it was ancient Rome's most valued pigment[citation needed]. Grateful Romans led victorious generals in procession to Capitolinus Temple, the victors' faces covered with minium, honoring the vermilion visage of Jupiter upon Capitoline Hill. Pliny the Elder records that it became so expensive that the price became fixed by decree- 70 sesterces per libum[7]— ten times more costly than red ochre.
From ancient times vermilion was regarded as the color of life (i.e., blood). Cinnabar provided the ubiquitous "China red", coloring Chinese life from the palatial red lacquers to the printing-pastes for personal name chops, and a unique red calligraphic ink reserved for Emperors. Chinese Taoists associated vermilion with eternity.
By the 8th century CE., the Chinese had recorded a procedure incorporating mercury and sulfur into a synthesized vermilion. By the 12th century the synthetic was introduced into Europe but in the west vermilion remained expensive- comparable to gilding in illuminated manuscript production- until the 14th century when the consistency of the synthetic set a popular standard. Cennino Cennini mentions that vermilion is
made by alchemy in a retort. I am leaving out the system for this, because it would be too tedious to set forth in my discussion all the methods and receipts. Because, if you want to take the trouble, you will find plenty of receipts for it, and especially by asking of the friars. But I advise you rather to get some of that which you find at the druggists' for your money, so as not to lose time in the many variations of procedure. And I will teach you how to buy it, and to recognize the good vermilion. Always buy vermilion unbroken, and not pounded or ground. The reason? Because it is generally adulterated, either with red lead or with pounded brick.[8]
From the 17th century is recorded a modification of Chinese manufacture known as the 'Dutch' method. Mercury and melted sulfur were mashed to make black mercury sulfide, then heated in retort, producing vapors condensing as a bright, red mercury sulfide. To remove the sulfur these crystals were treated with a strong alkali, washed and finally ground under water to yield the commercial powder form of pigment.[9]
Chinese vermilion was considered a superior hue to the European pigment. In 1835 "Chinese vermilion" was described as a cinnabar so pure that it only had to be ground into powder to become a perfect vermilion. Historically European vermilion included adulterants including brick, orpiment, iron oxide, Persian red, iodine scarlet-- and minium (red lead), an inexpensive & bright but fugitive (cf Pigment#impermanence) lead-oxide pigment.[7]
Modern day
In the demanding watercolor applications the hue of natural pigment vermilion is today supplied by a versatile, stable pigment which replaces the mercury of vermilion with cadmium: this contemporary pigment is known as cadmium red. The cadmium pigments offer the same range of warm hues. With addition of selenium or zinc, hues range from lemon-yellow to the dull, deep red known as "cadmium purple". Natural pigment vermilion remains standard in oil vehicles.
China red
"China red" is another name for other versions of the pigment vermilion, which is the traditional red pigment of Chinese art. Chinese name chops are printed with a red cinnabar paste, and vermilion (or cinnabar) is the pigment used in Chinese red lacquer. Cinnabar also has significance in Taoist culture, and was regarded as the color of life and eternity.
Variations of vermilion
Red-orange
"Red-orange" redirects here. For the variety of orange fruit, see red orange.
| Red-Orange |
| Color coordinates |
| Hex triplet |
#FF5349 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) |
(255, 83, 73) |
| CMYKH (c, m, y, k) |
(0, 68, 71, 0) |
| HSV (h, s, v) |
(3°, 71%, 100[10]%) |
| Source |
Crayola |
B:Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H:Normalized to [0–100] (hundred) |
At right is displayed the Crayola color red-orange.
Red-orange has been a Crayola color since 1949.
Orange-red
| Orange-Red |
| Color coordinates |
| Hex triplet |
#FF3F00 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) |
(255, 63, 0) |
| CMYKH (c, m, y, k) |
(0, 76, 100, 0) |
| HSV (h, s, v) |
(15°, 100%, 100[11]%) |
| Source |
X11 |
B:Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H:Normalized to [0–100] (hundred) |
Displayed at right is the web color orange-red. It was formulated in 1987 as one of the X11 colors, which became known as the X11 web colors after the invention of the world wide web in 1991. It is famously used on Reddit.
Medium vermilion
| Vermilion (Plochere) |
| Color coordinates |
| Hex triplet |
#D9603B |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) |
(217, 96, 59) |
| CMYKH (c, m, y, k) |
(0, 56, 73, 15) |
| HSV (h, s, v) |
(14°, 73%, 85[12]%) |
| Source |
Plochere |
B:Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H:Normalized to [0–100] (hundred) |
At right is the medium tone of vermilion called "vermilion" on the Plochere color list, a color list formulated in 1948 that is used widely by interior designers.
Chinese red
| Chinese Red |
| Color coordinates |
| Hex triplet |
#AA381E |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) |
(170, 56, 30) |
| CMYKH (c, m, y, k) |
(0, 67, 82, 33) |
| HSV (h, s, v) |
(11°, 82%, 67[13]%) |
| Source |
ISCC NBS |
B:Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
H:Normalized to [0–100] (hundred) |
At right is displayed the color Chinese red.
The color Chinese red is a deep tone of vermilion that is the color used on Chinese lacquered boxes and furniture.
The first recorded use of Chinese red as a color name in English was in 1924. [14]
The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Chinese red (color sample #36).
Vermilion in nature
- Birds
Vermilion and its variations in human culture
- Computer programming
- The web color orange red has a special significance in hacker culture. The documentation for Digital Equipment Corporation's VMS version 4 came in memorable, distinctively colored orangish-reddish ring binders, and "China red" was Digital's official name for this color. Mark Crispin seems to claim Digital's name for the color was Terracotta, at least in the context of PDP-10 machines running Tops-20. [15]
- Hindu culture
- Hindu women use vermilion along the hair parting line known as Sindoor, to signify that they are married. Hindu men often wear vermilion on their forehead during religious ceremonies. Vermilion is part of various Hindu ceremonies and festivals.
- Literature
- Vermilion Sands is a collection of science fiction short stories by J.G. Ballard published in 1971 about an imaginary future resort that pleases its guests by using various kinds of futuristic technology.
- Mythology
- In Chinese mythology one of the four symbols of the four directions is a bird called Vermilion Bird, which represents the direction of south.
- Religion
- The Shaolin temple, where the blue-eyed Indo-Iranian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma is reputed to have established the new sect of Chan Buddhism (Zen Buddhism), is colored a bright tone of vermilion. This temple was made famous in the West by the 1972-1975 TV series Kung Fu.
- In the Bible vermilion is listed as a pigment that was in use for painting buildings during the reign of Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah and is named in the book of the prophet Ezekiel as a pigment used in art that portrayed Chaldean men.
Jeremiah 22:11-14
"11 For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:
12 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
13 Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;
14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion." King James Bible 1611 Anno Domini
Ezekiel 23:14-17
"14 And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion,
15 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity:
16 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.
17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them." King James Bible 1611 Anno Domini
See also
- Persian red ("Artificial vermilion")
- List of colors
- Kumkum
Notes
- ^ The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called vermilion in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill; the color vermilion is displayed on page 27, Plate 2, Color Sample L11. It is noted on page 193 that the color cinnabar is the another name for the color vermilion.
- ^ Gettens, R. J., Feller, R. L. & Chase, W. T., Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of their History and Characteristics, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, p. 159
- ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 206; Color Sample of Vermilion: Page 27 Plate 2 Color Sample L11
- ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 193; Color Sample of Cinnabar (It is noted on page 193 that Cinnabar is the same color as Vermilion): Page 27 Plate 2 Color Sample L11
- ^ Cox, Robert E. (2009). The elixir of immortality: A modern-day alchemist's discovery of the philosopher's stone. Rochester: Inner Traditions. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-1-59477-303-7.
- ^ Eastaugh, p. 211
- ^ a b Eastaugh, p. 387
- ^ Cennini, Cennino D' Andrea.Il Libro dell' Arte (The Craftsman's Handbook). Trans. Daniel V. Thompson, Jr. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1933.
- ^ Gettens, Rutherford J.; Stout, George L. (1966). Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia. Courier Dover Publications. p. 171. ISBN 0-486-21597-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=bdQVgKWl3f4C&printsec=frontcover&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #FF5349 (Red-Orange):
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #FF3F00 (Orange-red):
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #D9603B (Medium Vermilion):
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #AA381E (Chinese Red):
- ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample of Chinese Red: Page 29 Plate 3 Color Sample J12
- ^ Use Net History
References
- Eastaugh, Nicholas (2004). Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments. Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-5749-9.
- Martín-Gil, J; Martín-Gil, FJ; Delibes-de-Castro, G; Zapatero-Magdaleno, P; Sarabia-Herrero, FJ (1995). "The first known use of vermillion." Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 51(8): 759-761
External links
- National Pollutant Inventory - Mercury and compounds fact sheet
- "Vermilion". Pigments through the Ages. WebExhibits. http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/vermilion.html.
- "Why are cinnabar, vermilion, and cadmium orange colored?". Causes of Color. WebExhibits. http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/10.html.
- More information in Medical Dictionary
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Shades of red |
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Auburn |
Burgundy |
Cardinal |
Carmine |
Cerise |
Chestnut |
Crimson |
Dark red |
Electric crimson |
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Flame |
Folly |
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Magenta |
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Raspberry |
Red |
Red-violet |
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Rose |
Rosewood |
Ruby |
Rust |
Scarlet |
Terra cotta |
Tuscan red |
Vermilion |
Wine |
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Shades of orange |
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Apricot |
Atomic tangerine |
Bittersweet |
Brown |
Burnt orange |
Carrot orange |
Champagne |
Coral |
Dark salmon |
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ECE/SAE Amber |
Flame |
Gamboge |
Gold |
Gold (metallic) |
International orange |
Lion |
Mahogany |
Old gold |
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Orange (web) |
Orange-red |
Orange peel |
Papaya whip |
Peach |
Peach-orange |
Peach-yellow |
Persian orange |
Portland Orange |
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Pumpkin |
Rust |
Safety orange |
Salmon |
Satin sheen gold |
Sunset |
Tangelo |
Tangerine |
Tea rose |
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Tomato |
Vermilion |
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