/ vir • mill • eon / Vermilion	Jump to pigmentMadder lake (alizarine)AzuriteBone blackBrown ochreCarmineCadmium orangecadmium yellowCerulean BlueCalcium carbonate whitesCharcoalcobalt blueCobalt greencobalt violetCobalt yellowChrome orangechrome yellowcopper resinateEgyptian blueEmerald greenGreen earthIndian yellowIndigolead whiteLemon yellowmalachiteNaples yellowOrpimentlead tin yellowPrussian bluerealgarred leadRed ochresmalttitanium dioxideUltramarineUmbraVan Dyke brownverdigrisvermilionviridianYellow ochrezinc white

1.  Overview     2. History of use     3. Making the pigment     4. Technical details

About the chemical structure:          Chemical name: mercuric sulfide Formula: HgS Crystal system: Trigonal - Trapezohedral (at Mineralogy Database) Refractive index: w = 2.905, e = 3.256; uniaxial

A swatch of Vermilion paint:

How can you identify Vermilion?          Chemical identification: n/a Spectra: Raman spectra (at University College London), (pdf file download; at University of Florence, Italy) UV/VIS/IR Spectra (at US Geological Survey)   Usage and handling:          Permanence: Toxicity: very good MSDS (at Cornell University)   Literature:             Brachert, F. und T., Zinnober, Maltechnik-Restauro, 86, 1980, p.145 Artists’ Pigments. A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Vol. 2: A. Roy (Ed) Oxford University Press 1993, p.159-182

Other reds         (intro) - Madder lake (alizarine) - realgar - red lead - Red ochre - vermilion