Umber
Encyclopedia
Umber is a natural brown
clay
pigment
which contains iron
and manganese
oxide
s. The color becomes more intense when calcined (heated), and the resulting pigment is called burnt umber. Its name derives from the Latin word umbra (shadow) and was originally extracted in Umbria
, a mountainous region of central Italy
, but it is found in many parts of the world. Some of the finest umber comes from Cyprus
. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times.
This is the color of the raw natural clay earth pigment
.
The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Raw Umber (color sample #77).
This is the color achieved when the raw unheated clay earth pigment is processed into refined pigment.
The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Umber (color sample #61).
and a color
. This medium brown pigment is made by heating umber
, a dark brown clay containing oxides of iron
and manganese
. It is used for oil and water colour paint.
The first recorded use of burnt umber as a color name in English
was in 1650.
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
which contains iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
oxide
Oxide
An oxide is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom in its chemical formula. Metal oxides typically contain an anion of oxygen in the oxidation state of −2....
s. The color becomes more intense when calcined (heated), and the resulting pigment is called burnt umber. Its name derives from the Latin word umbra (shadow) and was originally extracted in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, a mountainous region of central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but it is found in many parts of the world. Some of the finest umber comes from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times.
Raw umber
Displayed at the right is the color raw umber.This is the color of the raw natural clay earth pigment
Clay earth pigment
Clay earth pigments are naturally occurring minerals, principally iron oxides, that have been used since prehistoric times as pigments. The primary types are*ochre*sienna*umber...
.
The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Raw Umber (color sample #77).
Umber
Displayed at the right is the color umber.This is the color achieved when the raw unheated clay earth pigment is processed into refined pigment.
The source of this color is: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Umber (color sample #61).
Burnt umber
Burnt umber is both a pigmentPigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
and a color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
. This medium brown pigment is made by heating umber
Umber
Umber is a natural brown clay pigment which contains iron and manganese oxides. The color becomes more intense when calcined , and the resulting pigment is called burnt umber. Its name derives from the Latin word umbra and was originally extracted in Umbria, a mountainous region of central Italy,...
, a dark brown clay containing oxides of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
. It is used for oil and water colour paint.
The first recorded use of burnt umber as a color name in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
was in 1650.