Pigment Thesaurus
A thesaurus that resolves the names artists and historians use for pigments to their Colour Index (CI) codes — the standard identifier for a pigment's chemical family and type. Every entry gives the pigment's common name, chemistry, origin and history, and links to its full encyclopaedia record and the Michael Harding colours built on it.
The Colour Index code is the international standard for a pigment's identity (for example, PB29 is ultramarine, PR108 is cadmium red). Two paints can share a code yet look and handle differently, because the binder, grind and pigment load also shape the colour — so a code identifies the pigment, not an identical finished paint.
The pigment families
Every Michael Harding colour is built from identified pigments with standard Colour Index codes. Single-pigment colours use one pigment; formulated blends list each constituent pigment. Browse the families below, then dive into the full encyclopaedia for the chemistry, origin and history behind each one.
Titanium white (PW6) replaced lead white through the 20th century for its opacity and non-toxicity; zinc white (PW4) is more transparent and less yellowing.
Explore the whites →Cadmium yellow arrived in the 1840s; arylide and hansa yellows in the 20th century gave lead-free, bright alternatives.
Explore the yellows →A relatively modern range; oranges were historically mixed from reds and yellows.
Explore the oranges →From toxic vermilion and lead-based reds to 19th-century alizarin and 20th-century quinacridones and pyrroles.
Explore the reds →Violets were historically rare and fugitive; quinacridones (1958) brought permanent, vibrant options.
Explore the violets →From precious lapis lazuli to synthetic ultramarine (1828), cobalt (1802), and phthalo blues (1935).
Explore the blues →Modern greens replaced toxic historical greens (emerald, Scheele's); phthalo green (1938) is intensely strong and permanent.
Explore the greens →Umbers and siennas are among the oldest earth pigments; prized for landscape and underpainting.
Explore the browns →Ivory black is among the oldest pigments; lamp and mars blacks offer dense or fast-drying alternatives.
Explore the blacks →Where our pigments come from
The origin and chemistry of every pigment in our range - the material story behind the colour on your brush. Each entry links to its full encyclopaedia page for how the pigment is made, its use by the Old Masters, and its legacy.
PW6 is the Colour Index designation for Titanium White.
Synthetic mineral - titanium dioxide, first produced as a pigment in the early 20th century.
Titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a synthetic inorganic white.
Full history & making →PW1 is the Colour Index designation for Lead White / Flake White.
Synthetic - basic lead carbonate, made since antiquity by the slow "stack" or Dutch process.
Basic lead carbonate, a synthetic inorganic white.
Full history & making →PW4 is the Colour Index designation for Zinc White.
Synthetic mineral - zinc oxide, introduced as a painter’s white c.1780.
Zinc oxide (ZnO), a synthetic inorganic white.
Full history & making →PY35 is the Colour Index designation for Cadmium Yellow.
Synthetic - cadmium sulphide, introduced c.1840.
Cadmium sulphide, a synthetic inorganic pigment.
Full history & making →PY3 is the Colour Index designation for Arylide / Hansa Yellow.
Synthetic organic - introduced 1910.
An arylide (monoazo) yellow.
Full history & making →PR101 is the Colour Index designation for Synthetic Iron Oxide / Mars Red.
Synthetic - controlled-precipitation iron oxide.
Synthetic iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), available from earthy to vivid reds and violets.
Full history & making →PR108 is the Colour Index designation for Cadmium Red.
Synthetic - cadmium selenide/sulphide, introduced c.1910.
Cadmium seleno-sulphide, a synthetic inorganic pigment.
Full history & making →PR122 is the Colour Index designation for Quinacridone Magenta.
Synthetic organic - quinacridone, discovered 1935, commercialised 1958.
Quinacridone, a high-performance synthetic organic pigment.
Full history & making →PV19 is the Colour Index designation for Quinacridone Violet / Magenta.
Synthetic organic - quinacridone (violet crystal form).
Quinacridone.
Full history & making →PV23 is the Colour Index designation for Dioxazine Violet.
Synthetic organic - introduced mid-20th century.
Carbazole dioxazine.
Full history & making →PB29 is the Colour Index designation for Ultramarine.
Synthetic - a replica of the lapis lazuli mineral, first made commercially by Guimet in 1828.
Complex sodium aluminosilicate sulphide - the synthetic analogue of the lapis mineral.
Full history & making →PB15 is the Colour Index designation for Phthalocyanine Blue.
Synthetic organic - discovered by accident in 1935.
Copper phthalocyanine, a synthetic organic pigment.
Full history & making →PB28 is the Colour Index designation for Cobalt Blue.
Synthetic mineral - discovered by Thénard in 1802.
Cobalt aluminate, a synthetic inorganic pigment.
Full history & making →PB36 is the Colour Index designation for Cobalt Turquoise.
Synthetic mineral - a cobalt-chromium variant.
Cobalt chromium aluminate.
Full history & making →PB60 is the Colour Index designation for Indanthrone Blue.
Synthetic organic - introduced 1901.
An anthraquinone-derived synthetic organic pigment.
Full history & making →Colour Disclaimer: Colours shown on screen or in print may vary from the actual product. For the most accurate representation of colour, texture and finish, we recommend viewing a physical sample or swatch in person before making your final selection.