Eosin Geranium Lake (Genuine Historical Pigment)
PR90:1
Alternate Names
Acid Red 87
AR87
Pigment Description
A closely related version of the pigment that was used by Van Gogh. It is thanks to eosin's fugitive nature that the beautiful flowers and the purple room painted by Van Gogh have faded from purple to blue. This is a variety of Eosin Y (45380) on aluminum hydroxide for a base instead of a lead base. This seems to be a slightly different substrate for Eosin than the one Van Gogh probably used. Artiscreation is the only source we have found so far which delineates this clearly, so please see his references on the Pigment Compendium for more information.
Resources
PR90:1 pigment data from David G. Myers, The Color of Art Pigment Database, Artiscreation.com
Halford, Bethany. (2024, December 2). The Vanishing Violet in Van Gogh's Irises. Chemical and Engineering News.
Stats
Lightfastness
Poor?
Fades
Toxicity
Hazardous if laked onto lead oxide
Poisonous if laked onto lead, very toxic. See SDS for lead pigments such as PW1 and please consult the proper health and safety experts for handling. Treat all pigments and paints with studio safety protocols.
Chemical Name
Xanthrene, Acid Red 87 Dye laked onto aluminum hydroxide
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