Cyprus Umber Deep

Extra strong natural brown earth from Cyprus, this warm and deep burnt umber is close in color to our regular Burnt Umber but somewhat more transparent and neutral in mixing.

Shown here is "The Surrender of Breda" by Diego Velàquez, Museo del Prado, Madrid, oil on canvas painted about 1635.

Umber was not classified as a pigment distinct from other brown earths before the 16th century.  By the time this narrative work was painted, references to Umber in writings on artists' materials were common and often recommended heating the pigment to create Burnt Umber.  The name Umber derives from the Latin for "shadow" and Burnt Umber traditionally was recommended for creating warm shadows or to speed up the drying in brown grounds or underpaintings.

Visit our blog post A Case for Brown: Raw and Burnt Umbers that explores the benefits of traditional Natural Brown Earths paired with museum Masterpieces and mixing examples.