• Brown Ochre pigment, a warm, earthy brown with excellent opacity and lightfastness. Ideal for oil, watercolor, and tempera painting, offering smooth application and rich, natural tones. Historically used for fine art, restoration, and traditional painting techniques. Finely ground for professional-quality results. Available in various sizes.
  • The goddess Venus tries to restrain her lover Adonis from going off to the hunt. She clings to him, but Adonis looks down at her impassively. His dogs strain at their leashes, echoing his impatience, as detailed in the tragic love story found in Metamorphoses. Cupid sleeps in the background, a symbol of Adonis's resistance to Venus's entreaties, since his ineffective arrows hang uselessly in a tree. The story ends tragically; during the hunt, the mortal Adonis is fatally gored by a wild boar.
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Brown Ochre Pigment

Brown Ochre Pigment

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Description

Brown Ochre is a natural, handmade single earth pigment made through a ancient historical process of grinding raw earth from the rich deposits of France. This pigment is created through traditional methods of extraction, drying, and fine grinding, preserving its historical authenticity and warm, earthy tones.


Brown Ochre is a deep, warm brown with excellent opacity and lightfastness, making it a versatile and durable pigment. It has been used for centuries in fresco painting, oil painting, and tempera, providing natural, muted tones that blend harmoniously with other earth pigments. Its rich iron oxide content ensures a stable, long-lasting color that remains a favorite among artists seeking natural and organic hues.


Compared to synthetic browns, Brown Ochre offers a unique depth and subtle tonal variation, making it ideal for underpainting, shading, and creating warm, naturalistic effects in paintings.


History

Brown Ochre has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times, appearing in some of the earliest known cave paintings, including those in Lascaux, France. Ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Romans utilized brown ochre in murals, ceramics, and architectural decoration. In the pictured artwork 'Venus and Adonis' by Titian, brown Ochre is used extensively to create the earth tones throughout the landscape and figures.


During the Renaissance, brown ochre became a fundamental pigment in the palettes of European artists, often used for underpainting and subtle shading in portraiture and landscape painting. The ochre quarries of France, particularly in the Vaucluse and Roussillon regions, became renowned for producing some of the world's finest ochres, supplying master painters with this rich, earthy tone.


By the 19th and 20th centuries, brown ochre remained a staple in both fine art and industrial applications. Today, it continues to be valued for its historical significance, warm natural hues, and ability to create depth and realism in artwork.


Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Natural (Iron Oxide) from minerals (Goethite and Hematite) (France)

Suitable Mediums: Watercolor, Oil, Tempera, Acrylic, Encaustic, Cold Wax, Casein, Milk, Swedish Flour, Lime / Fresco

Lightfastness: Best

Opacity: Semi-opaque

Other Names: Burnt Ochre, Natural Brown Earth, French Brown Ochre, Ochre Brown

Color Index Code: PY43

Image: 'Venus and Adonis' by Titian from the Getty