Anthraquinone Scarlet

Description

Anthraquinone Scarlet (PR168) is a handmade single-pigment anthraquinone scarlet red. It produces a rich, warm scarlet with a clear orange-leaning undertone and a deeply saturated masstone. Compared to traditional cadmium or naphthol scarlets, this pigment feels more transparent and refined, offering a glowing depth in glazes rather than a flat, opaque block of color.

In use, Anthraquinone Scarlet gives a luminous, transparent red ideal for florals, textiles, sunsets, warm highlights, and expressive passages in portrait and figure work. It has strong tinting strength with a transparent to semi-transparent character, making it excellent for glazing, layered washes, and subtle optical mixing. It mixes beautifully with yellows for vivid oranges and flame colors, with magentas and quinacridones for complex reds and crimsons, and with blues and earth pigments for nuanced warm neutrals and deep, glowing shadow tones that stay clear rather than muddy.

This anthraquinone pigment is finely milled, chemically stable, and compatible with a wide range of binders and mediums. In artist’s colors it offers a modern, high-performance alternative to more opaque scarlets, functioning both as a primary warm red on contemporary palettes and as a sophisticated glazing color for rich, layered work.

History

Anthraquinone pigments are part of a family of synthetic organic colorants derived from anthracene chemistry that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were first developed for the dye industry, where their strong chroma and good fastness made them valuable in textiles and industrial finishes. As pigment-grade anthraquinones were refined for use in coatings and plastics, some members of this family were adapted for artist paints.

Anthraquinone Scarlet (PR168) represents a warm, orange-leaning red within this group, designed to bridge the gap between classical scarlets and more modern high-chroma reds. Its balance of transparency, chroma, and relative permanence led to its inclusion in select professional paint ranges, especially in watercolor and acrylic. While less ubiquitous than some other modern reds, it is appreciated by painters who want a glowing, transparent scarlet with a distinctly modern handling and a strong, reliable presence on the palette.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Synthetic (Organic) anthraquinone pigment

Suitable Mediums: Watercolor, Oil, Tempera, Acrylic, Lime / Fresco, Ceramic and cement applications

Lightfastness: Very good (best in masstone and non-watercolor applications)

Opacity: Transparent to semi-transparent

Other Names: Anthraquinone Scarlet, Anthraquinoid Scarlet (PR168), Transparent Scarlet (in some ranges)

Color Index Code: PR168