Rublev Colours Italian Burnt Umber is a traditional roasted earth pigment from Tuscany, Italy, made by calcining natural umber earth rich in iron and manganese oxides. Roasting deepens the colour into a warm reddish-brown masstone with a gentle yellow undertone, giving artists a classic burnt umber that is excellent for shadows, underpainting, and natural neutral mixes.

This finely ground pigment is valued for strong tinting strength, good covering power, and dependable permanence across painting mediums. It disperses well for tempera and watercolour, grinds smoothly into oil paint, and is suitable for fresco and acrylic systems where a stable, warm brown earth is needed. Because umber naturally contains manganese, it is often favoured in oil painting for its ability to support faster drying behaviour compared to many other earth colours.

Key features

• Natural roasted umber earth from Tuscany, Italy

• Colour Index PBr7, permanent and lightfast (ASTM I)

• Warm reddish-brown with yellow undertone and good coverage

• Excellent for portrait shadows, landscape earths, and tonal underpainting

• Suitable for making oil paint, watercolour, tempera, acrylic dispersions and fresco

Safety note: Avoid inhaling dry pigment dust. Umbers contain manganese, so use a mask, gloves, and good ventilation when handling powder.