A painted swatch of Carbon black:
Brief description of Carbon black:
Carbon black is just a common name for a black pigment, traditionally produced from charring organic materials such as wood. There are lots of varieties of names, each of which reflects a traditional method for producing a particular kind of carbon black. The most important are:
Vine black was traditionally produced by charring desiccated grape vines and stems.
Lamp black was traditionally produced by collecting soot, also known as lampblack, from oil lamps.
Names for Carbon black:
|Pronounciation:||char kole blak|
|Alternative names:||Charcoal black, vine black, lamp black|
|Word origin:||The name "Carbon black" comes from Latin carbo = charcoal.|
|Chemical name:||Carbon (C)|
Source of Carbon black:
Example of use by artists:
Infrared reflectography reveals underdrawing made of carbon black
Virgin and Child, Giovanni Bellini, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan
Since carbon absorbs light so well, it appears dark with infrared reflectography imaging, revealing artists' sketch under the painting.