Did you know?... Vine Black

Oh dear...!
Graphite sketch by Estelle Rocca-Serra

Vine black is thought to be the oldest of all black pigments; the ancient Romans had a name for it that sounds almost like a magic spell: Atramentum!

It is an opaque blue-black which was originally produced by charring dried grape vines or grape skins.

Despite the fact that its reliability has been proven for over 2000 years it is rarely sold today and is nowadays mainly produced from charring nutshells and fruit stones.

More grapes for the wine! I’ll drink to that!

Stay tuned…

Source: The Materials and Techniques of Painting (Kurt Wehlte)