(Historical Pigments)
Lemon Yellow Unspecified
Pigment Description
Lemon yellow can refer to quite a few different pigments, both historical and modern. We included this as its own entry as sometimes art history books will mention lemon yellow without giving a description of the pigments. In truth it could refer to any yellow pigment or blend, particularly ones that are green-leaning or fairly pale. According to Cameo, a common blend was made of toxic yellow chromates, PY31, PY32 and zinc white.
Field wrote in the late 19th century that the name Lemon Yellow referred to paints made of chromate of barium. At that time he cautioned that if they are not made well they may lack stability.
Stats
Lightfastness
Varies
Since lemon yellow can refer to various pigments it is not possible to make a generalization about the lightfastness.
Transparency
Unknown, but likely to be semi-opaque or semi-translucent
Toxicity
Toxic, depending on composition
Artiscreation assigns some of the pigments that could be involved a "C", meaning "\Hazardous, use appropriate precautions for handling toxic substances, especially if working with the dry powder; Do not ingest; Avoid dust & spray." There are also extremely serious hazards associated with several of the main pigments which were historically labeled Lemon Yellow which may warrant an even more serious designation. We are not toxicologists so we suggest consulting third party research as well as manufacturer MSDS. Also see Monona Rossol's research available upon request here for more information.
DISCLAIMER: Please note that we are not experts in health and safety and we are not toxicologists, please consult the proper experts. We are not liable for any issues that may arise from the use of our website or its contents. The information contained in this site is provided without warranty or guarantee of any kind. We do not necessarily endorse any other website that are linked from our site. For any important pigment specs, please reference the manufacturer details. If you discover errors or omissions, please reach out through our contact form. Thank you.
