Orpiment

Naming

From Latin "auripigmentum" (aurum = gold + pigmentum = pigment), referencing its golden color. The name has been in continuous use since Roman times.

Historical Pigment

Orpiment has been one of the most important yellow pigments in art history, used for at least 3,000 years: - Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings (found in Tutankhamun's tomb) - Roman wall paintings - Medieval European illuminated manuscripts (identified by Raman microscopy in Portuguese portrait miniatures; Veiga et al., 2014) - Persian and Mughal miniature paintings - Chinese and Japanese paintings and lacquerwork - Byzantine and Islamic manuscripts The pigment was highly valued for its brilliant, warm yellow and was used despite its known toxicity. Artists and artisans who worked extensively with orpiment suffered chronic arsenic poisoning. The dry-process and wet-process manufacture of synthetic arsenic sulfide pigments produced amorphous materials with characteristic Raman signatures disti

Alchemy and Metallurgy

Orpiment was significant in alchemy; its golden color suggested associations with gold. It was also historically used as a depilatory (hair removal agent) in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean -- a practice that would cause arsenic absorption through the skin.

Trade and Commerce

In ancient Rome, orpiment was imported from Syria and Asia Minor. Pliny the Elder described it in his Natural History. It was traded along the Silk Road and was a commodity in medieval apothecaries.