A J Ludlow Chrome Oxide Green Professional Watercolour

Chrome Oxide Green is just one of the bright and exquisite Professional Watercolours made in the UK by A J Ludlow. Being based on a single pigment with excellent permanence and light fastness, ensures that this watercolour’s properties are exceptional.

Chrome Oxide Green Professional Watercolour is prepared using the inorganic metal oxide, chromium (III) oxide The pigment has been selected for its purity, light fastness and earthy yellowish-green hue, making it ideal for use in A J Ludlow’s Professional watercolour range.

Chromium (III) oxide occurs in nature as the mineral eskolaite and as an impure form, known as chrome ochre but for its application as a pigment, it is the synthetically produced material that is commonly used. There is confusion as to the history of chromium (III) oxide as an artists’ pigment as it is generally reported that it was introduced to the artists’ palette in 1862, which is not correct as it was listed by the colourman Field in his journal in 1815 and found on a painting by Turner dated to 1812 (Pigment Compendium, page 108). However, it may be that it was the dark transparent green pigment, hydrated chromium oxide (Cr2O3.2H2O), often called viridian (or “vert emeraude”) that was not available to artists until 1862 (Wilson et al) and not the dehydrated pigment (Cr2O3), which is thought to have been used as an enamel in the decoration of porcelain since 1809.

Chromium (III) oxide green pigment is known by a number of different names, for example, chrome oxide green, chrome sesquioxide green oxide of chromium and Casali’s green1. This pigment has also been referred to as “true chrome green” although care should be exercised here as chrome green is the classic name given to a mixed green of Prussian blue and yellow chromate.

Chromium (III) oxide is often associated with the military as it is the main pigment used in camouflage painting. In watercolours it is listed by Mayer as a traditional green, along with viridian, green earth and cobalt green (Mayer, page 136), although it is well known that it is opaque. In thin washes, A J Ludlow’s Chrome Oxide Green is bright and shows good transparency due to the fact that only the pure pigment is used and the degree of pigmentation ensures a strong colour even when heavily diluted.

Notes:

1 Although in some texts Casali’s green is described as a “variety of viridian”, but “not the hydrate” (Pigment Compendium, page 93).

Eastaugh N, Chaplin T, Siddall R, Walsh V, “Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary and Optical Microscopy of Historic Pigments”, Routledge, Abingdon 2013