Originally it consisted of natural ferric oxide (Fe2O3, partially hydrated) obtained from the red hematite.

Modern versions are frequently made with synthetic red iron oxide produced via calcination of green vitriol (a.k.a.

It was the major ingredient in the pigment called cinabrese, described by the 15th-century Italian painter and writer Cennino Cennini in his handbook on painting, Il libro dell'arte.

Cennini recommended mixing Venetian red with lime white, in proportions of two to one, to paint the skin tones of faces, hands and nudes.

[4] During the English Civil War (1642–1651), Venetian red was adopted as the primary uniform colour of the New Model Army, to ease mutual identification on the battlefield.