The natural greenish umber is an inorganic mineral pigment (iron oxide, clay silicates), coming from the land of Verona, Veneto.
It can be used in any painting technique such as fresco, tempera, encaustic and oil. This pigment is obtained by grinding and calcining the raw material.
In the Baroque period it became important in the artistic production of great painters such as Caravaggio, Vermeer and Rembrandt.