Slate black

Description

A grayish-black pigment made from pulverized slate. Slate black was an early natural black pigment used in watercolor paints. The hard stones are difficult to pulverize making a gritting powder. It is permanent but has little hiding power. Slate black is still occasionally used in inexpensive industrial paints.

Synonyms and Related Terms

shale black; noir d'ardoise (Fr.); mineral black

Authority

• G.S.Brady, G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 611

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