R&F Encaustic Paint Block - Alizarin Crimson, 40 ml

It is difficult to mill without using stearate additives, which dull the colour. Our milling is complex and tricky, but the result is a pure, luminous, ruby-red undertone. It is less harsh than Quinacridones, but it is not sufficiently lightfast in tints.

• Pigment Composition: PR83-Alizarin Crimson
• Paint Lines: Encaustic, Pigment Stick
• Opacity: Transparent
• Pigment Stick Drying Rate: Slow
• Classification: Synthetic Inorganic
• Chemical Composition: 1,2 dihydroxy anthraquinone on alumina base
• Safety Information: Conforms to ASTM D-4236

Pigment Name: PR83-Alizarin Crimson

Classification: Organic

Chemical Composition: 1,2-dihydroxyantraquinone

Properties

Alizarin Crimson, the traditional cool counterpart to Cadmium Red, is a clear ruby-red with a maroon masstone and a bluish undertone. It is the artist's principal deep red pigment, is transparent, and has good tinting strength. It creates bright, rosy pinks when mixed with white, a range of purples and violets when mixed with intense blues, can be slow drying when used with oils, and is compatible with all other pigments. Permanent Alizarin Crimson mixes well with Ultramarine in acrylic and watercolour form. Permanent Rose and Quinacridone Roses are possible alternatives on a watercolour palette. Alizarin Crimson is a popular glazing colour.

Permanence

Alizarin Crimson is considered fugitive or marginally lightfast, and the appropriateness of its use in the modern artist's palette is a subject of debate. There are many concerns regarding its permanence, mainly when mixed with ochre, sienna, and umber or when used thinly. It is the least permanent red commonly used by today’s artists. Modern synthetic preparations of Alizarin Crimson have better permanence and lightfastness than the original natural pigment, which was extracted from the madder plant. Quinacridone pigments have created a modern hue that closely matches the original hue. Still, many artists object that the transparency and handling characteristics are not the same as those of the original.

Toxicity

Alizarin Crimson can be slightly toxic if it comes into contact with the skin and may cause some allergies. There is no significant acute toxicity.

History

The word alizarin comes from the Arabic word al-usara, meaning juice. The base ingredient of this pigment is the Madder plant (Rubia Tinctorum). It was used for dyes and inks among artisans in Ancient Persia, India, and Egypt as early as 1500 BC. In 1804, George Field, an English dye maker, developed Madder Lake by binding madder to alum, a white powder. The German chemists Carl Grabe and Carl Liebermann produced the first synthetic variety of this pigment, most commonly known as Alizarin Crimson, in 1868. They used anthracene, which significantly improved the lightfastness. The Colour Index International designation PR83:1 has been used to identify this synthetic laked pigment.