Pozzuoli red

Pozzuoli red

Description

A bright, natural red volcanic clay used as a paint pigment. Pozzuoli red, originally mined in Italy at Pozzuoli near Naples, has been used since ancient times by the Romans (see pozzolana). It was popular for fresco paintings because it dried quickly to a hard impenetrable surface like cement.

Synonyms and Related Terms

terra di pozzuoli; pozzuolana; pozzolana; Possuoli earth; Pompeian red

Additional Images

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  Pozzolana

Authority

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• Thomas Gregory, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942

• M. Doerner, The Materials of the Artist, Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1934

• R. Mayer, The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, Viking Press, New York, 1981

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "Pozzuoli." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service 7 Apr. 2005 . - for location of Pozzuoli

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000