Smalt Deep Blue Oil Paint

Description

Smalt Deep is our exquisitely hand-crafted oil paint made with an extremely concentrated, high-quality single source pigment. Every tube is meticulously hand mulled, filled, and labeled using only pure cold-pressed walnut oil (linseed oil available upon request) and the maximum amount of hand-ground and richly textured pigment.

Smalt Deep Fine (PB32) is a handmade single-pigment smalt composed of cobalt silicate glass ground to a fine particle size. It produces a deep, historic blue with a cool, slightly gray–mineral undertone and a rich masstone. Compared to modern cobalt or phthalo blues, this pigment is lower in chroma and much more transparent, offering a softly weathered, Old Master blue rather than a high-intensity modern color.

In use, Smalt Deep Fine gives a subtle, atmospheric blue ideal for historical palettes, skies, distant architecture, drapery, and veiled glazes in landscape and figurative work. It has low tinting strength and a transparent to semi-opaque character, so it is easily overpowered in mixtures but excels when used in generous, textured passages or layered over more opaque undercolors. The “Deep Fine” grind balances a darker tone with smoother handling: finer than coarse smalt for more even washes, yet still visibly granulating for distinctive crystalline texture.

Key Features

Single Source Pigment: Each product features one pure pigment, chosen for its exceptional quality.

Handmade Artisanal Process: Crafted in small batches, our oil paints are hand mulled on a marble slab and hand filled in aluminum tubes to preserve the integrity of the pigment.

Maximum Pigment Load: Designed to provide maximum color saturation, our formula contains no artificial additives or fillers

Recommended Use: Best used with oil mediums to achieve optimal fluidity.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Synthetic (Inorganic) potassium cobalt silicate glass (smalt)

Suitable Mediums: Watercolor, Gouache, Tempera, Acrylic, Lime / Fresco, Ceramic applications; historically more variable in Oil

Lightfastness: Good

Opacity: Transparent to semi-opaque

Other Names: Smalt Deep Fine, Smalt, Potassium Cobalt Silicate Blue

Color Index Code: PB32

Image: 'The Nativity' by Girolamo Romanino from the National Gallery

Production Process

Our oil paints are created with passion and precision. The pigment is carefully hand mulled and then mixed with pure cold-pressed walnut oil, ensuring an exceptionally concentrated and vibrant product. The entire process is carried out by hand—from mixing and mulling to filling and labeling—so you can be confident in the artisanal quality of every tube.

Usage & Care

Please store in a secure area away from children and pets, and dispose of any waste in an environmentally friendly manner in accordance with all local, state, and national regulations.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.