Wallace Seymour Indigo, natural from India Bespoke Oil Paint

Indigo, natural from India PB 1

C16.H10.N2O2. A natural vegetable pigment, derived from the leaves of the Indian plant, Indigofera tinctoria. The leaves are immersed in water and left to ferment, then dried, oxidising to indigo. This residue is then washed, boiled in water, air-dried and formed into small cakes or lumps. The cake form is then pulverised to form a fine, but slightly grainy powder, which can be further ground as required.

Imports to Europe from India began in the 1600s.

Good. Deep blue-black. Transparent. Historically, indigo has been used in oil technique.

Dries slowly in oil ( 10-12 days for thin applications).

Shows transparency as a glaze.