Lamp Black is a simple genuine pigment made of Carbon black. It is an extremely lightfast, permanent and opaque pigment.
Lamp Black has been used since pre-historic time making it one of the oldest pigments still used today. It was commonly used in Egyptian tombs and murals as an alternative to charcoal which was less pure and dense. Lamp Black is a pure carbon, made from the residual soot when burning oil. Its name comes from the practice of making it with oil lamps. Older and less stable blacks made from oil were called Oil or Flame Black.
It is a fluffy, fine pigment which has a bluish tint and produces a wide selection of slightly cool and blue greys. Slow drying, it should not be used extensively as an under-painting layer for oil paints. You can speed the drying time by either mixing a bit of Umber in it or adding a drying medium.
Lamp Black is available in the following ranges: