Yellow ocher
Description
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A natural yellow earth mineral primarily composed of Goethite (iron hydroxide) or Limonite (hydrated ironoxide) and Clay. Yellow ochers, ranging in color from cream to brown, occur naturally throughout the world and have been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. Synthetically produced yellow ocher pigment, introduced at the end of the 18th century, is sold under the name of Mars yellow.
Synonyms and Related Terms
goethite; limonite; jarosite; yellow ochre; iron ocher; ocre jaune (Fr.); yellow earth; earth yellow; Mars yellow; gold ochre; raw sienna; French ochre; raw umber
Additional Images
Yellow ocher
Forbes pigment 258
Yellow ocher, pale
Forbes pigment 589
Yellow ocher at 100x (visible light left; UV light right)
Yellow ocher at 500x
Yellow ocher at 200x polarized light
Resources and Citations
- Ruth Siddall, 'Mineral Pigments in Archaeology: Their Analysis and the Range of Available Materials' Minerals Vol 8, p. 201 (2018). Link
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 558
- Reed Kay, The Painter's Guide To Studio Methods and Materials, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1983
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
- Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996
- Pigments Through the Ages: Yellow ochre