Green Verditer

Description

Green Verditer is a soft, opaque blue-green pigment made from basic copper carbonate. It has a gentle, pastel tonality that sits between turquoise and seafoam green. Known for its smooth texture and relatively low tinting strength, Green Verditer was prized for decorative painting, manuscript illumination, and water-based mediums.

It produces a semi-opaque to opaque paint, with delicate granulation in watercolor and smooth, velvety coverage in tempera and fresco. Its subdued character makes it excellent for historical reconstructions and subtle, atmospheric effects.

History

Green Verditer dates back to the medieval period, where it was manufactured artificially by treating copper salts with chalk or lime. This process produced a finely powdered copper carbonate, distinct from naturally occurring malachite.

It became widely used during the Renaissance and Baroque periods as an affordable and accessible alternative to more expensive copper-based pigments like malachite and azurite. Verditer was especially common in fresco painting, manuscript illumination, and house decoration, where its light, even color was appreciated. In the pictured artwork of "Lady Elizabeth Thimbelby and her Sister", Anthony van Dyck used Green Verditer to create the beautiful velvet green of the upper drapery.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, it was increasingly replaced by more stable and intense greens such as verdigris, chrome green, and later synthetic emerald and viridian pigments. Today, it remains of interest for conservation work and for artists who value historical authenticity and the delicate hues of early synthetic pigments.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Synthetic Inorganic

Chemical Composition: Basic Copper Carbonate (Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂)

Suitable Mediums: Watercolor, Tempera, Fresco, Gouache, Oil

Lightfastness: Moderate (sensitive to acids and sulfur-containing environments)

Opacity: Semi-Opaque

Other Names: Verdet, Artificial Malachite, Green Bice, Mountain Green (historic synonyms)

Color Index Code: PG39

Image: "Lady Elizabeth Thimbelby and her Sister" by Anthony van Dyck from the National Gallery