umber
Umber is a natural earth pigment consisting of iron oxide and manganese oxide; it has a brownish color that can vary among shades of yellow, red, and green.: 39 Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first used in the Ajanta Caves from 200 BC to 600 AD.: 378 Umber's advantages are its highly versatile color, warm tone, and quick drying abilities.: 148–49 While some sources indicate that umber's name comes from its geographic origin in Umbria, other scholars suggest that it derives from the Latin word umbra, which means "shadow".: 250 The belief that its name derives from the word for shadow is fitting, as the color helps create shadows.: 250 The color is primarily produced in Cyprus.: 250 Umber is typically mined from open pits or underground mines and ground into a fine powder that is washed to remove impurities. In the 20th century, the rise of synthetic dyes decreased the demand for natural pigments such as umber.
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