Golden ochre

Golden ochre has good density, the same covering power, high light fastness, pure color and soft structure.

The golden ochre pigment is a natural mixture that consists primarily of crystalline iron oxide hydrate with some clay.

When heated, orange and yellow ochre release water and gradually darken, acquiring an increasingly reddish tint.

In the modern artist's palette, four types of nominal yellow ochre are most often encountered: light, medium, golden and dark.

In terms of composition, golden ochre should include at least 53% Fe2O3, 5% Al2O3 and 34% SiO2 with the complete absence of impurities such as CaO, MgO, MnO2 and insoluble sulfates.

It is generally recommended to avoid very large, raised strokes with pure ochre, since due to the slow and incomplete drying of the layers to the full depth, uneven color and irregular matte surface may appear.

In this case, ochre performs not only the function of enhancing the feeling of unity of the picture, but also an additional "warming" color.

[7]: 236 Golden ochre has been known and widely used as a stable, reliable and inexpensive pigment for any finishing, household and decorative purposes, suitable for painting both interior and exterior work.

A description of a similar use of golden ochre can be found in one of the stories of the Russian writer Sergeev-Tsensky: «...The hives were squat, wide, on four oak logs each, with pitched roofs, covered here with iron, here with plywood, but uniformly painted with golden ochre, cheerful in appearance».