Hansa

Description

Originally a Hoechst AG trademark for a line of bright, transparent yellow, orange and red synthetic organic pigments. Now, Hansa is a commonly used designation for this class of insoluble azo pigments. Hansa colors were first made in Germany in 1900 and were first used in artists paints about 1910. When used full strength, Hansa colors have good lightfastness, but they tend to fade when mixed with white pigments. They also have good weather resistance but are susceptible to bleeding in some media. Hansa colors are used in enamels, paints, plastics, rubber and coated paper.

Timeline:

• Early 20th Century (circa 1900-1909): The first Hansa yellow pigments were developed in Germany by the Hoechst AG company. This marked a breakthrough in the search for stable and vibrant yellow pigments.
• 1909: Hansa Yellow Light (specifically PY3) was patented for use in artists' paints.
• 1909-1915: The first Hansa pigments were commercially sold, and began to be incorporated into artists' paints around this time.
• 1920s-1930s: Hansa yellows started to become more commercially available and gained wider use, especially as a replacement for the often toxic and less lightfast inorganic yellows that had been traditionally used.
• 1950s onwards: Hansa pigments, particularly the yellows, became even more widely used, especially as a non-toxic alternative to cadmium yellows, which were highly opaque but carried toxicity concerns.

See also Hansa red, Hansa yellow, and Hansa orange

Risks

• Most are suspected carcinogens.

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Insoluble in water, acids or alkalis.

Resources and Citations

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
• Reed Kay, The Painter's Guide To Studio Methods and Materials, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1983 Comment: available in artist colors since the 1930s
• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986 Comment: Developed in Germany in 1900; used in artist colors since about 1910
• B. Berrie, S.Q. Lomax, 'Azo Pigments: Their History, Synthesis, Properties and Use in Artists' Materials', Studies in the History of Art , National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, No. 57, 1997 Comment: First sold in 1909; used in artist colors in 1915