Product Description
Venetian White is a semi-opaque white ground in walnut oil with a small amount of the palest linseed oil that provides a stiff white, excellent for mixing with colors. According to Salter's edition of George Field's Chromatography (1869), Venetian white was a commercial name in the nineteenth century for a white pigment mixture composed of equal parts of lead white (basic lead carbonate) and 'heavy spar' (that is, the barium sulfate mineral barite or baryte). The names Venice white and Venice ceruse were also used for this mixture as well as for pure lead white.
We've replicated this color for artists today without the fillers and stabilizers (e.g. stearates, waxes, etc.) typical of modern whites. The white mineral barite (1.65) has a lower refractive index than lead white (2.01), making it less opaque and hence well suited for mixing with other colors. Use it to make pale tints of colors without overpowering them or as a foundation for other colors.
We've replicated this color for artists today without the fillers and stabilizers (e.g. stearates, waxes, etc.) typical of modern whites. The white mineral barite (1.65) has a lower refractive index than lead white (2.01), making it less opaque and hence well suited for mixing with other colors. Use it to make pale tints of colors without overpowering them or as a foundation for other colors.
