Mummy brown
Encyclopedia
Mummy brown was a rich brown bituminous pigment, intermediate in tint between burnt umber and raw umber, which was one of the favorite colors of the Pre-Raphaelite
s.
, myrrh
, and the ground-up remains of Egypt
ian mummies
, both human and feline, one London colourman claiming that he could satisfy the demands of his customers for twenty years from one Egyptian mummy. It fell from popularity in the early 19th century when its composition became generally known to artists. It was also considered extremely variable in its composition and quality, and since it contained ammonia
and particles of fat, was likely to affect other colours with which it was used.
Mummy brown was produced up into the 20th century until the supply of available mummies was exhausted.
, goethite
and hematite
, the hematite and goethite (generally 60% of the content) determining the color - the more hematite the redder the pigment - with the others being inert substances that can vary the opacity or tinting strength. The color of Mummy brown can vary from yellow to red to dark violet, the latter usually called "Mummy Violet".
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
s.
History
Mummy brown was originally made in the 16th and 17th centuries from white pitchPitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
, myrrh
Myrrh
Myrrh is the aromatic oleoresin of a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus Commiphora, which grow in dry, stony soil. An oleoresin is a natural blend of an essential oil and a resin. Myrrh resin is a natural gum....
, and the ground-up remains of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian mummies
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, both human and feline, one London colourman claiming that he could satisfy the demands of his customers for twenty years from one Egyptian mummy. It fell from popularity in the early 19th century when its composition became generally known to artists. It was also considered extremely variable in its composition and quality, and since it contained ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
and particles of fat, was likely to affect other colours with which it was used.
Mummy brown was produced up into the 20th century until the supply of available mummies was exhausted.
Present day
The modern pigment sold as "Mummy brown" is composed of a mixture of kaolin, quartzQuartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, goethite
Goethite
Goethite , named after the German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is an iron bearing oxide mineral found in soil and other low-temperature environments. Goethite has been well known since prehistoric times for its use as a pigment. Evidence has been found of its use in paint pigment samples...
and hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
, the hematite and goethite (generally 60% of the content) determining the color - the more hematite the redder the pigment - with the others being inert substances that can vary the opacity or tinting strength. The color of Mummy brown can vary from yellow to red to dark violet, the latter usually called "Mummy Violet".