Caput Mortum

This is a pigment that I had discovered late in my journey as a painter - but it is a hugely versatile colour, and one that makes me swoon at the best of times. It is also known as cardinal purple and refers to the 'useless residue' (caput mortum or dead head) of an alchemical usage of hematite iron oxide. This colourway is deep, dark and very subtly layered - shades of hematite, tyrian violet,  and dark amaranth.