Nicosia Green Earth is a deep green transparent oil color, remarkable for its undertones. It is sourced from mineral deposits in Cyprus and ground in linseed oil.
Independent Raman microspectroscopy analysis (Smith and Kastenholz, Indianapolis Museum of Art and Butler University, 2019) identified copper phthalocyanine green (PG7) as a minor colorant in this pigment. Full analytical findings, spectral data, and microscopy images are on the .
Green earth was used in verdaccio—a style of underpainting that uses green-grey colors to establish values for later layers of paint. Verdaccio is renowned for being particularly effective when painting flesh tones. It was popular amongst Italian Renaissance artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, who used verdaccio underpainting in his masterpiece, the Mona Lisa.
Composition and Permanence| Nicosia Green Earth | |
| Color: | Green |
| Binder: | Linseed oil |
| Additive(s): | None |
| Pigment Information | |
| Pigment: | |
| Pigment Classification: | Natural inorganic and synthetic inorganic/organic |
| Colour Index: | Pigment Green 23 (77009); Pigment Green 7 (74260) |
| Chemical Name: | Hydrated Iron Potassium Silicate (mineral); Copper Phthalocyanine (synthetic) |
| Chemical Formula: | (K,Na)(Fe3,Al,Mg)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 (mineral); C32H16CuN8 (PG7) |
| CAS No. | — |
| Properties | |
| Code: | 205 |
| Series: | 2 |
| Opacity: | Transparent |
| Tinting Strength: | Low to medium |
| Drying Rate: | Medium |
| Lightfastness: | I |
| Permanence: | A |
| Safety Information: | Based on the toxicological review, there are no acute or known chronic health hazards with the anticipated use of this product. This pigment contains cobalt compounds in addition to the components noted above; always protect yourself against potentially unknown chronic hazards of this and other chemical products by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spray mists, sanding dust, and concentrated vapors. Contact us for further details or consult the MSDS. |
For a detailed explanation of the terms in the table above, please visit the page.
Some separation of pigment and oil may occur in Rublev Colours Artist Oils, and it is a natural process when no wax or stabilizers are added to the paint to prevent it.
All color swatches on this website are approximations of the actual color of the oil paint. We have carefully matched the color in these pictures to the actual color on calibrated color monitors. However, due to wide variation across color monitors, the results may vary.
Color Swatch Note: The color swatch was created with a thick application of color (left side) and a tint (right side) made with equal parts of color and titanium white, applied to acrylic-primed cotton canvas.
Drawdown Note: The image of the "drawdown" shows a premixed paint film 6 mils (0.006 inches) thick, applied to a standard test card to examine color consistency, opacity, and other qualities. The drawdowns show the full-color 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 is scraped to show undertones.
| Color Names | |
| Common Names: | English: green earth French: terre verte German: grüne Masse Italian: terre verde Portuguese: terra verde Russian: зеленаяземля Spanish: tierra verde |