Naples Yellow

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Description

Naples Yellow is a historic, opaque yellow pigment made from lead antimonate (Pb₂Sb₂O₇). It produces a warm, slightly orange-leaning yellow that ranges from pale cream to deep golden depending on preparation. Its strong opacity, covering power, and permanence made it one of the most important yellows in European painting for centuries.

In watercolors, it gives a dense, matte wash; in oils and tempera it provides rich, buttery highlights and blends beautifully with earths and reds for naturalistic skin tones. Unlike organic yellows, Naples Yellow retains its warmth and body, making it invaluable for underpainting and glazing.

History

Naples Yellow is one of the oldest known synthetic pigments, with origins in the Bronze Age. It was used in Egyptian faience and Mesopotamian glazes, but its systematic preparation as a painter’s pigment became widespread in the Renaissance.

By the 15th–17th centuries, it was one of the most common yellows in Europe, employed by artists such as Titian, Rembrandt, and Watteau. It was especially prized for portraiture, fresco, and oil painting due to its stability and versatility in mixing.

In the 19th century, however, Naples Yellow began to decline in use, gradually replaced by less toxic pigments such as chrome yellow (lead chromate), cadmium yellow, and modern synthetics. Today, authentic lead antimonate Naples Yellow is rare, manufactured primarily for conservation and historical authenticity. Modern “Naples Yellow” hues in commercial paints are typically mixtures of titanium white, cadmium yellow, and other pigments.

Health and Safety

Warnings:

CANCER AGENT.

INHALATION MAY PRODUCE CANCER.

EXPOSURE MAY CAUSE HARM TO THE PREGNANT PEOPLE OR DEVELOPING FETUS.

INHALATION MAY CAUSE LUNG DAMAGE.

CONTAINS LEAD.

Precautions:

Keep out of reach of children and pets.

Do not consume.

Not for cosmetic or food usage.

Do not spray apply.

For further health information contact a poison control center.

Use care when handling dry pigments and avoid dust formation.

Use particular caution with fibrous, fine, or toxic pigments.

Do not eat, drink, or smoke near dry pigments.

Avoid breathing in pigment dust and use a NIOSH-certified dust respirator with sufficient rating for dry pigment.

Wash hands immediately after use or handling.

If dust is likely, always wear protective clothing to keep out of eyes, lungs, off skin, and out of any contact as well as keep area ventilated.

This product may contain chemicals known by the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.

Warnings and bottle information are abbreviated.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Synthetic Inorganic

Chemical Composition: Pb₂Sb₂O₇ (Lead Antimonate)

Suitable Mediums: Oil, Tempera, Fresco, Acrylic (historically major in oil and fresco)

Lightfastness: Excellent

Opacity: Opaque

Other Names: Giallolino, Jaune d’Antimoine, Antimony Yellow, True Naples Yellow

Color Index Code: PY41