Malachite pigments

Malachite (Verde Azzurro, mountain green)

PG39

Natural pigment suitable for icon painting (egg tempera), oil painting and watercolor painting without additional grinding. 

Master Pigment's malachite is a vibrant green pigment made from the mineral malachite, a native copper carbonate. This pigment was widely popular in the creation of manuscripts and medieval paintings in Europe and Asia and is still used in the Orient, particularly in Japan. Malachite is likely the oldest known green pigment, also appearing in Egyptian tomb paintings.

The color and distinctive wood grain pattern of the cut mineral make it highly attractive, leading to its use in luxurious accessories and jewelry.

Cennino Cennini "Il Libro dell' Arte" - "This color is good in secco, with a tempera of yolk of egg, for making trees and foliage, and for laying in.
This color is rather coarse by nature, and looks like fine sand. For the sake of the color, work it up very, very little, with a light touch; for if you were to grind it too much, it would come out dingy and ashy color."

The malachite minerals I use are sourced from deposits in China. The pigment is crafted using a similar method to my azurite pigments, albeit with much smaller and finer grind sizes. The process begins with crushing the mineral, washing the small particles, and sieving them to precise sizes. Careful grinding follows to prevent over-grinding. The resulting powder is washed again and separated through levigation. The fine powder undergoes repeated washing to remove any milky solution, resulting in a vibrant, very fine green pigment.