How Rembrandt Used Vermillion in his Paintings

Art Lesson 38, Part 7

Discover how Rembrandt Used Vermillion in his Paintings

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How Rembrandt Used Vermillion in his Paintings

Vermillion is a bright scarlet paint, which also can be orange or crimson. This pigment is found in the red and orange-red highlights of the woman’s dress in Belshazzar’s Feast.

Although vermilion is very opaque, Rembrandt didn’t use it often. Instead, opaque red passages were often painted in red ochre with the addition of transparent red lake.

Sometimes, Rembrandt used vermilion in little quantities to strengthen red ochre mixed with white, like, for example, in The Adoration of the Shepherds.