Natural pigment suitable for icon painting (egg tempera),
oil painting and watercolor painting without additional grinding.
Magnetite, a natural magnet made of iron oxide and primary iron ore, boasts a matte black color with metallic luster and a hardness between 5.5 and 6 on the Mohs scale. It has been called this way since 1845 by Wilhelm Karl von Haidinger in honor of the town of Magnesia, Greece.
Black iron oxide, derived from magnetite, has enjoyed a long history of use as a pigment, offering a cool neutral tone that wets easily into various mediums and remains as non-greasy as carbon black. Master Pigments magnetite comes from deposits in Chile, South America, and represents the natural counterpart of Mars Black, an iron oxide pigment developed in the 20th century.
The preparation process involves numerous washing and grinding. The final product is a robust, transparent and fast-drying black pigment, ideal for various painting techniques and media.