Hi David,

Vermilion is a pigment made from cinnabar, which is a mineral ore that
is basically mercury sulfide, HgS. Most mercury compounds are toxic,
and vermilion is indeed. Vermilion does not contain arsenic.

You can certainly buy vermilion pigment powder nowadays, and it is not
restricted in any way. Many artists use it.

What's interesting about vermilion is the optical physics of it. The
colour obtained varies with the particle size, and you can get a range
from a blue-red to bright orange. Larger particles make a dull hue,
and very fine ground vermilion makes the fiery orange we can see in
French instruments and furniture.

Bole can mean any earth red colour, it's a really old English colour
word. But bole also means red earth pigments commonly used in 18c as a
substitute for the vastly more expensive vermilion.

As to modern substitutes for vermilion, since you can readily buy it,
there is not really any need, except in relation to toxicity.. Used
with care it is safe. By coincidence, we are painting a French
instrument right at the moment, and I have spent several months
attempting to find vermilion colour in a modern interior acrylic
paint. Apart from the fact the no paint maker I can find makes such a
colour, the ones that do have 'vermilion' produce a colour that is
nothing like true vermilion French paint. The only answer is to make
your own paint, it seems.

As to risk, I am afraid the painters and decorators of the past had no
Handbook of Materials Toxicity to refer to, and indeed it is certain
people in these professions suffered chemical poisoning and side
effects.

Andrew


On 16 February 2016 at 12:11, Kelzenberg, David C
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I seem to recall that Vermillion pigment was not only expensive, but also highly toxic.  Or was it bole?  I think it contains arsenic, and for this reason is difficult or impossible to obtain nowadays.  Is this correct?  Has modern science found a suitable substitute?  (Wasn't there cyanide or "Prussian blue" in some blue and green pigments too?  Being a painter, like being a hatter, must have been a risky profession in those days!)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask]  saying  HELP .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::