Blue Black is a deep black with cool bluish tints. The name appears in the catalogs of artists’ colormen circulated in the nineteenth century. Some references describe it as charcoal black, which may have been derived from charred vine cuttings or wood charcoal. It is often listed as a mixture of 40 parts bone black and three parts Prussian blue, which is the composition of Rublev Colours Blue Black.
Composition and Permanence| Blue Black | |
| Color: | Blue Black |
| Pigment: | Mixed pigment (See "Pigment Information" below) |
| Binder: | Linseed oil |
| Additive(s): | None |
| Pigment 1 Information | |
| Pigment: | Bone black |
| Pigment Classification: | Natural inorganic |
| Colour Index: | Pigment Black 9 (77267) |
| Chemical Name: | Hydroxyapatite (calcium phosphate) and carbon |
| Chemical Formula: | Ca5(OH)(PO4)3 and C |
| CAS No. | 8021-99-6 |
| Pigment 2 Information | |
| Pigment: | Prussian blue (Milori type) |
| Pigment Classification: | Synthetic inorganic |
| Colour Index: | Pigment Blue 27 (77520) |
| Chemical Name: | Ferric ferrocyanide |
| Chemical Formula: | Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3·xH2O |
| CAS No. | 12240-15-2 |
| Properties | |
| Code: | 920 |
| Series: | 3 |
| Opacity: | Opaque |
| Tinting Strength: | High |
| Drying Rate: | Medium |
| ASTM Lightfastness: | Not Listed |
| Permanence: | A - 3 |
| Safety Information: | There are no acute or known chronic health hazards associated with the anticipated use of this product (most chemicals are not fully tested for chronic toxicity). Always protect yourself against potentially unknown chronic hazards of this and other chemical products by keeping them out of your body. Do this by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spraying mists, sanding dusts and vapors from heating. Conforms to ASTM D-4236 |
For a detailed explanation of the terms in the table above, please visit .
NotesSome separation of pigment and oil may occur in Rublev Colours Artist Oils and is a natural process when no wax or stabilizers are added to paint to prevent this from occurring.
All images of color swatches in this web site are only approximations of the actual color of the oil paint. We have taken every care to match the color in these pictures on calibrated color monitors to the actual color. However, because of the wide variance in color monitors the results you get may vary.
Color Swatch Note: The color swatch was created with a thick application (left side) of color and a tint (right side) made with equal parts of color and titanium white and applied on acrylic primed cotton canvas.
Drawdown Note: The image of the "drawdown" contains a pre-mixed paint film of 6 mil (0.006 inch) thickness applied to a standard test card for the purposes of examining color consistency, opacity and other qualities. The drawdowns show the color full strength (mass tone), on the left, and mixed in a 1:2 ratio with titanium white on the right. The bottom area of the drawdowns are scraped to show undertones.