Lead-tin yellow
Composition and Properties of Lead-Tin Yellow
Lead-tin yellow is known in two different forms. The first and more frequently used is called type I and is a mixed oxide of both elements tin and lead with the chemical formula of Pb2SnO4. Type II possibly contains traces of silica and also pure tin oxide.Lead-tin yellow is chemically quite stable under normal conditions and is also resistant to high temperatures. It is also resistant to acidic and alkaline solutions and can thus be employed in fresco. The light steadfastness of the pigment is very high but it is blackened by contact with sulfides or gaseous hydrogen sulfide.
Names of Lead-Tin Yellow
Giallolino, giallorino, massicot, masticotCI 77629Lead: Old English lead “lead, leaden vessel,” from West Germanic *lauda– a word of uncertain origin.Tin: Old English tin, from Proto-Germanic *tinom, of unknown origin
Preparation of Lead-Tin Yellow
Attention: All lead salts are highly toxic chemicals and should not be used by people not trained to handle them.The pigment can be prepared by heating a mixture of any lead oxide and tin dioxide in an oven.
History of Use
The first occurrences of lead-tin yellow in paintings date from around 1300, the most frequent use followed in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeen centuries. The use of this pigment seems to have ceased around 1850. The following graph gives the frequency of its use in the paintings of the Schack Collection in the Bavarian State Art Collections in Munich (1).Examples of use
