Indian Red Ochre Pigment

Description

Indian Red is a handmade single earth pigment made through a historical process of extraction, drying, and fine grinding. This pigment is rich in iron oxide, giving it a deep, warm red hue with subtle violet undertones. Its strong opacity and high tinting strength make it a powerful color in painting, ideal for creating dramatic shadows, earthy tones, and natural skin tones.

Indian Red has exceptional lightfastness, making it highly durable for both classical and contemporary artwork. It blends seamlessly with other earth pigments, offering warm and harmonious tones in painting. Its semi-opaque to opaque quality allows for beautiful layering and depth in oil, watercolor, and tempera applications. Compared to synthetic reds, it provides a more complex and organic color, ideal for landscape, portrait, and decorative painting.

History

Iron oxide based red pigments have been used in painting since prehistoric times, with early cave paintings containing similar mineral compositions. Indian Red has long been valued for its permanence and warm, earthy tones.

During antiquity, Indian Red was widely used in Indian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman wall paintings, frescoes, and ceramics. The pigment's rich, deep red hue made it a valuable component in murals and architectural decoration. In the pictured Mural from Nataraj, Kailashnath temple, Indian red mixed with vermilion is used for the rich reds throughout.

In the Renaissance, artists such as Titian and Rembrandt used Indian Red extensively for underpainting, glazing, and shading. It was favored for its ability to create warm skin tones, enhance shadows, and mix well with other earth pigments to achieve naturalistic effects.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, Indian Red had become a staple pigment in European painting traditions, particularly in portraiture, landscape painting, and classical realism. The pigment was also widely used in industrial applications, including textiles and architectural paints.

Today, Indian Red continues to be an essential pigment in fine art, conservation, and restoration due to its historical authenticity, warmth, and strong covering power.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Natural (Iron Oxide) from minerals (Hematite - Fe₂O₃) (India)
Source: Hematite rich earth
Origin: India
Suitable Mediums: Watercolor, Oil, Tempera, Acrylic
Lightfastness: Excellent
Opacity: Semi-opaque to opaque
Other Names: Persian Red, Light Red, Pompeian Red
Color Index Code: PR102
Image: Mural by Unknown from Nataraj, Kailashnath temple

Health and Safety

• For art use only. Not for cosmetic, food or children's use.
• Keep out of reach of children and pets. Do not eat, drink or smoke while working.
• Avoid creating or breathing dust. Work in a ventilated area and wear a NIOSH approved dust respirator (P100 or better) when handling dry pigment.
• Wear gloves and eye protection. Wash hands and work surfaces after use, and never rinse pigment into drains.
• Do not spray apply, sand or burn.
• If swallowed or if you feel unwell, contact a poison control center (U.S. 1-800-222-1222) or a doctor.
• Safety Data Sheet available on request.

Caution: Natural earths and minerals contain crystalline silica (quartz). Breathing the dust over long periods can cause serious lung disease (silicosis) and lung cancer. Always use a dust respirator with the dry pigment.

WARNING: This product can expose you to crystalline silica (airborne particles of respirable size), which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.