Iodine scarlet

Description

A brilliant red compound composed of Mercuric iodide. Iodine scarlet fades to yellow in sunlight and is highly toxic. It was manufactured and sold as a paint pigment for a few years at the beginning of the 19th century.

Synonyms and Related Terms

mercuric iodide; brilliant scarlet; pure scarlet; royal scarlet

Risks

• Highly toxic.

Resources and Citations

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

• R.D. Harley, Artists' Pigments c. 1600-1835, Butterworth Scientific, London, 1982

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