Silver White (Genuine Historical Pigment)
Silver White PW1
Alternate Names
Cremnitz White
Flake White
Silver-Lead White
Pigment Description
Silver White is one of the names for Lead White, PW1. In the letters of Vincent Van Gogh, he mentions Silver White, or Blanc d'Argent. Cameo describes Silver White as a, " very pure basic lead carbonate imported from Paris". Over the ages, especially when lead white was one of the main whites, there have been different names for the locales of its manufacture (such as Venetian White, which was also a pure lead carbonate in its time). Cameo notes that in England Silver White was sometimes used as a name for zinc white as well as lead white, so it is best to double check historical sources if you come across this name.
A fuller discussion of lead white is found on the page for PW1, Lead White.
Resources
Silver White PW1 pigment data from David G. Myers, The Color of Art Pigment Database, [Artiscreation.com](https://artiscreation.com/white.html#Silver White PW1)
Information about Silver White PW1 from Bruce MacEvoy, Handprint Guide to Watercolors,
CAMEO Materials Database: Conservation & Art Materials Encyclopedia Online, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (Accessed June 2025). Lead White https://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Lead_white. Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Church, A. H. The Chemistry of Paints and Painting. London : Seeley, Service, 1915. Internet Archive, Web. Accessed June 2025. https://archive.org/details/chemistryofpaint00churuoft,
CAMEO Materials Database: Conservation & Art Materials Encyclopedia Online, Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (Accessed June 2025). Silver White https://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Silver_white. Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Stats
Lightfastness
Likely to be excellent, however yellows. Some pigments may be reactive with lead white
Lead white tends to yellow and is also reactive to certain air pollutants. Some pigments are less lightfast in lead white as well (see Golden's research on mixing whites in the PW1 entry).
Toxicity
Toxic, Lead
Lead is toxic. There are extremely serious hazards for pigments containing lead as well as paints. 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 on pigments with lead. Artiscreation assigns this pigment a "C", meaning "\Hazardous, use appropriate precautions for handling toxic substances, especially if working with the dry powder; Do not ingest; Avoid dust & spray." IMPORTANT: The proper precautions for working with lead white go beyond what we can cover here, but please be advised that the toxicity is very serious and lead can be even absorbed through the skin. Do not breathe it, do not eat it, and do not let it sit on your skin. Special decontamination is also needed. Please consult the relevant health and safety authorities.
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.
