Lampblack

Natural inorganic pigment

Pigments sorted by Colour | Type | First date of use | Elements | Pigment timelines

Composition and Properties of Lampblack

Lampblack is soot produced by burning oil or other combustible organic materials. Soot is basically pure carbon, sometimes containing small amounts of unburned material or other combustion products.

The pigment is very stable as are all carbon blacks, it is absolutely lightfast and compatible with all other pigments.

Pigment

Painted swatch

Video: 'The Different Blacks' by CITY STATIONERY GROUP SAL

Names

Alternative names

Soot

Color Index

PBk 7, CI 77266

Word origin

From Old French lampe “lamp, lights” (12c.), from Latin lampas “a light, torch, flambeau,” from Greek lampas “a torch, oil-lamp, beacon-light, light,” from lampein “to shine,” perhaps from a nasalized form of Proto-Indo-European root *lehp– “to light, glow”
From Online Etymology Dictionary

Lampenschwarz

German

Noir de lampe

French

Nerofumo

Italian

Negro de humo

Spanish

Preparation

Lampblack is soot which can be produced by burning oil in a lamp. Soot can also be produced by burning of a multitude of other fuels such as gas, fats, asphalt, paraffin, and resins. Soot produced industrially from gas or oil is called carbon black, however, carbon black had also been used synonymously with lamp black.

History of Use

Lampblack had been in use since prehistoric times and is one of the oldest pigments.

Identification

Fiber optics reflectance spectra (FORS)

FORS-Spectrum by A. Cosentino, Cultural Heritage Science Open Source (CHSOS)

Raman Spectrum

Raman spectrum (see above) by Ian M. Bell, Robin J.H. Clark and Peter J. Gibbs, Raman Spectroscopic Library
University College of London.
Raman Spectrum in Pigment Checker Raman Spectral Database at Cultural Heritage Science Open Source (CHSOS)

X-Ray Fluorescence Spektrum (XRF)

XRF Spectrum in the Free XRF Spectroscopy Database of Pigments Checker, CHSOS website.