Editing Vermilion

{{Short description|Red color from powdered cinnabar (HgS)}}
{{other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|cs1-dates=ly|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox color
|title=Vermilion (cinnabar)
|hex=E34234
|source=Maerz and Paul{{NoteTag|The color displayed in the color box above matches the color called ''vermilion'' in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill;  the color ''vermilion'' is displayed on page 27, Plate 2, Color Sample L11. It is noted on page 193 that the color cinnabar is another name for the color vermilion.}}
|isccname=Vivid reddish orange}}
[[File:Tizian 041.jpg|thumb|The Venetian painter [[Titian]] used vermilion for dramatic effect. In the ''Assumption of the Virgin'' (1516–18), the vermilion robes draw the eye to the main characters.]]
[[File:Lacquerware-roundbox-w-children.jpg|thumb|A Chinese "cinnabar red" [[carved lacquer]] box from the Qing dynasty (1736–1795), [[National Museum of China]], Beijing]]

'''Vermilion''' (sometimes '''vermillion''')<ref name="Merriam Webster">{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vermilion |title=Vermilion |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=21 May 2018 |website=Merriam-Webster |access-date=16 June 2018}}</ref> is a color family and [[pigment]] most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral [[cinnabar]] (a form of [[mercury sulfide]]). It is synonymous with '''red orange''', which often takes a modern form, but is 11% brighter (at full brightness).{{Contradictory inline|date=October 2024}}

== Etymology and common name ==
Used first in English in the 13th century, the word ''vermilion'' came from the [[Old French language|Old French]] word ''vermeillon'', which was derived from ''vermeil'', from the [[Latin]] ''vermiculus'' {{ndash}} the diminutive of the Latin word ''vermis'' for worm.<ref name="oed">{{cite web |title=Vermilion |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=vermilion |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=11 April 2023 |date=2023}}</ref>

The name originated because it had a similar color to the [[Kermes (dye)|natural red dye]] made from an insect, ''[[Kermes vermilio]]'', which was widely used in Europe.<ref name="oed" />{{sfn|Eastaugh|2004|p=211}} The first recorded use of "vermilion" as a color name in English was in 1289.<ref>Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 206; Color Sample of Vermilion: Page 27 Plate 2 Color Sample L11</ref><ref>Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill Page 193; Color Sample of Cinnabar (It is noted on page 193 that cinnabar is the same color as vermilion): Page 27 Plate 2 Color Sample L11</ref>

The term '''cinnabar''' is used in [[mineralogy]] and [[crystallography]] for the red crystalline form of [[mercury sulfide]] HgS. Thus, the natural mineral pigment is called "cinnabar", and its synthetic form is called "vermilion" from [[red lead]].<ref name="oed" />

== Chemistry and manufacture ==
Vermilion is a dense, opaque pigment with a clear, brilliant hue.<ref name="Bomford Roy page 41">David Bomford and Ashok Roy, ''A Closer look: Colour''. p. 41.</ref> The pigment was originally made by grinding a powder of [[cinnabar]] ([[mercury sulfide]]).<ref name="StClair">{{Cite book|title=The Secret Lives of Colour |last=St. Clair|first=Kassia|publisher=John Murray|year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4736-3081-9|location=London |pages=144–145 |oclc=936144129}}</ref> Like most mercury compounds, it is [[toxic]].{{Sfn|St. Clair|2016|p=146}}

Vermilion is not one specific hue; mercuric sulfides make a range of warm hues, from bright orange-red to a duller reddish-purple that resembles fresh liver. Differences in hue are caused by the size of the ground particles of pigment. Larger crystals produce duller and less orange hues.

Cinnabar pigment was a side product of the mining of mercury, and mining cinnabar was difficult, expensive, and dangerous, because of the toxicity of mercury. Greek philosopher [[Theophrastus]] of Eresus (371–286 BC) described the process in ''De Lapidibus'', the first scientific book on minerals. Efforts began early to find a better way to make the pigment.

The Chinese were probably the first to make a synthetic vermilion as early as the fourth century BC. Greek alchemist [[Zosimus of Panopolis]] (third–fourth century AD) wrote that such a method existed. In the early 9th century, the process was accurately described by Persian alchemist [[Jabir ibn Hayyan]] (722–804) in his book of recipes of colors, and the process began to be widely used in Europe.<ref name="Bomford Roy page 41" /><ref>Philip Ball, ''Bright Earth, Art and the Invention of Colour''</ref>

The process described by Jabir ibn Hayyan was fairly simple:
* Mix mercury with sulfur to form ''aethiopes mineralis'', a black compound of mercury sulfide.
* Heat this in a flask (the compound vaporizes and recondenses in the top of the flask).
* Break the flask.
* Collect the vermilion and grind it.
When first created, the material is almost black. As it is ground, the red color appears. The longer the compound is ground, the finer the color becomes. Italian Renaissance artist [[Cennino Cennini]] wrote: "If you were to grind it every day, even for 20 years, it would keep getting better and more perfect."<ref>Lara Broecke, ''Cennino Cennini's ''Il Libro dell'Arte'' a New English Translation and Commentary with Italian Transcription'', Archetype 2015, p. 64.</ref>

In the 17th century, a new method of making the pigment was introduced, known as the Dutch method.{{Sfn|St. Clair|2016|p=146}} Mercury and melted sulfur were mashed to make black [[mercury sulfide]], then heated in a [[retort]], producing vapors condensing as a bright, red mercury sulfide. To remove the sulfur, these crystals were treated with a strong alkali, washed, and finally ground under water to yield the commercial powder form of the pigment.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gettens |first=Rutherford J. |author2=Stout, George L. |title=Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |year=1966 |page=171 |isbn=0-486-21597-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bdQVgKWl3f4C}}</ref> The pigment is still made today using essentially the same process.

Vermilion has one important defect; it is liable to darken, or develop a purplish-gray surface sheen.<ref name="Bomford Roy page 41" /> Cennino Cennini wrote, "Bear in mind ... that it is not in its character to be exposed to air, but it is more resistant on panel than on walls since, when it is used and laid on a wall, over a period of time, standing in the air, it turns black."<ref>Lara Broecke, ''Cennino Cennini's ''Il Libro dell'Arte'': a New English Translation and Commentary with Italian Transcription'', Archetype 2015, p. 64.</ref> Newer research indicates that chlorine ions and light may aid in decomposing vermilion into elemental mercury, which is black when in finely dispersed form.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Castelvecchi, D. |title=Paintings turning black? Blame mercury |journal=Nature |date=4 October 2013 |doi=10.1038/nature.2013.13887 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Spring, M. |author2=Grout, R. |year=2002 |title=The Blackening of Vermilion: An Analytical Study of the Process in Paintings |journal=National Gallery Technical Bulletin|volume=23|pages=50–61 |url=http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/upload/pdf/spring_grout2002.pdf|access-date=13 January 2014}}</ref>

Vermilion was the primary red pigment used by European painters, from the Renaissance until the 20th century. Because of its cost and toxicity, though, it was almost entirely replaced by a new synthetic pigment, [[cadmium red]], in the 20th century. As cadmium can also be toxic, some scientists propose replacing this with solid solutions of the [[perovskite]]s CaTaO<sub>2</sub>N and LaTaON<sub>2</sub>.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jansen |first1=M. |last2=Letschert |first2=H. P. |date=April 2000 |title=Inorganic yellow-red pigments without toxic metals |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/35010082 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=404 |issue=6781 |pages=980–982 |doi=10.1038/35010082 |pmid=10801123 |bibcode=2000Natur.404..980J |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Genuine vermilion pigment today comes mostly from China; it is a synthetic mercuric sulfide, labeled on paint tubes as PR-106 (Red Pigment 106). The synthetic pigment is of higher quality than vermilion made from ground cinnabar, which has many impurities. The pigment is very toxic, and should be used with great care.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paintmaking.com/red.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104115245/http://www.paintmaking.com/red.htm |archive-date=2013-01-04 |title=Vermilion (PR 106) Also known as Chinese Vermilion, less commonly Cinnabar |website=Paintmaking.com}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Cinnabar-172403.jpg|[[Cinnabar]] crystals from the [[Almaden Quicksilver County Park|Almaden Mine]] in northern California
Cinnabar-3d6b.jpg|Cinnabar crystals on [[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]] from [[Tongren Prefecture]], Guizhou, China
Vermilion pigment.jpg|alt=Vermilion pigment, traditionally derived from cinnabar.|Vermilion pigment, traditionally derived from cinnabar.
Paolo Uccello 035.jpg|Vermilion has the property of darkening with time. The bridle of the horse in ''The Battle of San Romano'' by [[Paolo Uccello]] in the National Gallery in London has turned from red to dark brown.<ref name="Bomford Roy page 41" />
</gallery>

== History ==
The colors are widely used in the art and decoration of [[Ancient Rome]] and the [[Byzantine Empire]], then in the [[illuminated manuscript]]s of the [[Middle Ages]], in the paintings of the [[Renaissance]], and in the art and [[lacquerware of China]].<ref name=rjg>Gettens, R. J., Feller, R. L. & Chase, W. T., ''Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of their History and Characteristics'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, p. 159.</ref><ref name=elixer>{{cite book |last=Cox |first=Robert E.|title=The elixir of immortality: A modern-day alchemist's discovery of the philosopher's stone|year=2009 |publisher=Inner Traditions|location=Rochester|isbn=978-1-59477-303-7|pages=22–23}}</ref>

=== Antiquity ===
The first documented use of vermilion pigment, made with ground cinnabar, dates to 8000–7000 BC, and was found at the [[Neolithic]] village of [[Çatalhöyük]], in modern-day Turkey. Cinnabar was mined in Spain beginning in about 5300 BC. In China, the first documented use of cinnabar as a pigment was by the [[Yangshao culture]] (5000–4000 BC), where it was used to paint ceramics, to cover the walls and floors of rooms, and for ritual ceremonies.<ref name=ThoughtCo>{{Cite web |author=Hirst, K. Kris |date=Aug 25, 2020 |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/cinnabar-the-ancient-pigment-of-mercury-170556 |title=Cinnabar, the Ancient Pigment of Mercury |work=ThoughtCo |access-date=2018-02-04}}</ref>

The principal source of cinnabar for the ancient Romans was the Almaden mine in northwest Spain, which was worked by prisoners. Since the ore of mercury was highly toxic, a term in the mines was a near-guaranteed death sentence. [[Pliny the Elder]] described the mines this way:

<blockquote>Nothing is more carefully guarded. It is forbidden to break up or refine the cinnabar on the spot. They send it to Rome in its natural condition, under seal, to the extent of some ten thousand librae ([[Ancient Roman units of measurement#Weight|Roman pounds]] thus 3289&nbsp;kg) a year. The sales price is fixed by law to keep it from becoming impossibly expensive, and the price fixed is seventy sesterces a pound.<ref>Daniel V. Thompson, ''The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting'', p. 103.</ref></blockquote>

In Rome, the precious pigment was used to paint frescoes, decorate statues, and [[Cosmetics in Ancient Rome#Rouge|even as a cosmetic]]. In [[Roman triumphs]], the victors had their faces covered with vermilion powder, and the face of Jupiter on the [[Capitoline Hill]] was also colored vermilion.<ref name="StClair" /> Cinnabar was used to paint the walls of some of the most luxurious villas in [[Pompeii]], including the Villa of the Mysteries (Italian: ''[[Villa of the Mysteries|Villa dei Misteri]]).''<ref name="StClair" /> [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] reported its painters stole a large portion of the expensive pigment by frequently washing their brushes and saving the wash water.<ref name="Anne Varichon p. 112">Anne Varichon, ''Couleurs : Pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples'', p. 112</ref>

In the [[Byzantine Empire]], the use of cinnabar/the vermilion color was reserved for the use of the imperial family and administrators; official letters and imperial decrees were written in vermilion ink, made with cinnabar.<ref name="Anne Varichon p. 112" />

=== In India ===
It is known as [[sindoor]]. Sindoor is commonly used by '''married''' women in Hindu religion in India.<ref name="rjg" />

=== In the Americas ===
Vermilion was also used by the native peoples of America, to paint ceramics, figurines, and murals, and for the decoration of burials. It was used in the Chavin civilization (400 BC – 200 AD), and in the [[Maya civilization|Maya]], Sican, Moche, and [[Inca]] empires. The major source was the Huancavelica mine in the [[Andes]] mountains in central Peru.

The most dramatic example of vermilion use in the Americas was the so-called [[Tomb of the Red Queen]], located in Temple XIII, in the ruins of the Mayan city of [[Palenque]] in Chiapas, Mexico. The temple is dated to between 600 and 700 AD. It was discovered in 1994 by Mexican archeologist [[Fanny López Jiménez]]. The body and all objects in the sarcophagus were covered with bright red vermilion powder made from cinnabar.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20150405011225/http://archaeology.about.com/od/archaeologic7/ss/Palenque-Walking-Tour_4.htm  Archeology.about.com article on Temple XIII and the structures of Palenque (Retrieved April, 2015)</ref><ref>http://arqueologiamexicana.mx/mexico-antiguo/quien-es-la-reina-roja [Spanish] ¿Quién es la Reina Roja? by Fanny López Jiménez on arqueologiamexicana.mx</ref><ref name="ThoughtCo" />

=== In the Middle Ages and Renaissance ===
The technique for making a synthetic vermilion by combining sulfur and mercury was in use in Europe in the 9th century, but the pigment was still expensive. Since it was almost as expensive as gold leaf, it was used only in the most important decoration of illuminated manuscripts, while the less expensive [[minium (pigment)|minium]], made with [[red lead]], was used for the red letters and symbols in the text.

Vermilion was also used by painters in the Renaissance as a very vivid and bright red, though it did have the weakness of sometimes turning dark with time. Florentine artist Cennino Cennini described it in his handbook for artists:

{{quote|This pigment is made by [[alchemy]], prepared in a [[retort]], which subject I will leave be since to put every method and recipe into my discussion would be too longwinded. The reason? Because if you care to take the trouble, you will find a lot of recipes for it, and particularly if you cultivate friendships with monks. But, so that you do not waste your time with the many different techniques, I advise you, just take what you can find at the apothecary's for your money. And I want to teach you how to buy it and how to recognise the good vermilion. Always buy solid vermilion and not crushed or ground. The reason? Because more often than not you are cheated either with red lead or crushed brick.<ref>Lara Broecke, ''Cennino Cennini's ''Il Libro dell' Arte'': a new English Translation and Commentary with Italian Transcription'', Archetype 2015, pp. 63–4.</ref>}}

By the 20th century, the cost and toxicity of vermilion led to its gradually being replaced by synthetic pigments, particularly cadmium red, which had a comparable color and opacity.

<gallery widths=140>
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations003.jpg|The first documented use of cinnabar or vermilion pigment was found at the neolithic village of [[Çatalhöyük]] in modern-day Turkey. This mural, from 7000 to 8000 BC, shows [[aurochs]], a deer, and humans. (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara)
Banpo bowl.jpg|The first documented use of cinnabar, or vermilion, for decorating pottery in China dates to the [[Yangshao culture]] (5000–4000 BC). This bowl is from Banpo Village, [[Shaanxi]], China.
Villa Mystery fresco.jpg|The [[Villa of the Mysteries]] in [[Pompeii]] was a showcase for the expensive vermilion pigment made from ground cinnabar.
Palenque-ausgrab.jpg|The walls of the tombs of [[Maya civilization|Maya]] rulers were sometimes painted with cinnabar, and in the [[Tomb of the Red Queen]] in [[Palenque]] (600–700 AD), the remains of a noblewoman were covered with bright vermilion cinnabar powder.
</gallery>

=== Chinese red ===
{{See also|Color in Chinese culture#Red}}

In China, the color vermilion was also playing an important role in national culture. The color was mostly used in creating Chinese [[lacquerware]], which was exported around the world, giving rise to the term "Chinese red".

The lacquer came from the [[Toxicodendron vernicifluum|Chinese lacquer tree]], or ''[[Toxicodendron vernicifluum]]'', a relative of [[poison ivy]] and [[poison sumac]] (not to be confused with [[sumac]], which is in a different genus and is not toxic), which grew in regions of China, [[Korea]], and Japan. The sap or resin of the tree, called [[urushiol]], was caustic and toxic (it contained the same chemical compound as [[poison ivy]]), but painted onto wood or metal, it hardened into a fine natural plastic, or lacquer surface. The pure sap was dark brown, but beginning in about the third century BC, during the [[Han dynasty]], Chinese artisans colored it with powdered cinnabar or with [[Ochre|red ochre]] ([[ferric oxide]]), giving it an orange-red color.<ref>Garner, H., "Technical Studies of Oriental Lacquer"; ''Studies in Conservation'' (8), (1963) pp. 84–97.</ref><ref>Ken Johnson, "Cinnabar: Zen once came in a shade of red", ''New York Times'', August 20, 2009.</ref> Beginning in about the 8th century, Chinese chemists began making synthetic vermilion from mercury and sulfur, which reduced the price of the pigment and allowed the production of Chinese lacquerware on a larger scale.

The shade of red of the lacquerware has changed over the centuries. During the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD) the Chinese word for red referred to a light red. However, during the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907), when the synthetic vermilion was introduced, that color became darker and richer. The poet [[Bai Juyi]] (772–846) wrote in a [[Song poetry|song poem]] praising [[Jiangnan]], "the flowers by the river when the sun rises are redder than flames", and the word he used for red was the word for vermilion, or Chinese red.<ref>Yan Chunling, ''Chinese Red'', Foreign Languages Press, Beijing, (2008).</ref>

When Chinese lacquerware and the ground cinnabar used to color it were exported to Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, European collectors considered it to be finer than the European vermilion. In 1835, "Chinese vermilion" was described as a cinnabar so pure that it only had to be ground into powder to become a perfect vermilion. Historically, European vermilion often included adulterants including brick, [[orpiment]], [[iron oxide]], [[Persian red]], [[Mercury(II) iodide|iodine scarlet]]—and [[minium (pigment)|minium]] (red lead), an inexpensive and bright, but [[fugitive pigment|fugitive]] lead-oxide pigment.{{sfn|Eastaugh|2004|p=387}}

Since ancient times, vermilion was regarded as the color of blood, thus the color of life. It was used to paint temples and the carriages of the emperor, and as the printing paste for personal [[Seal (East Asia)|seals]]. It was also used for unique red calligraphic ink reserved for emperors. Chinese Taoists associated vermilion with eternity.
<gallery widths=140>
Lacquerware bowl, Western Han Dynasty.JPG|A lacquerware bowl from the Western Han dynasty, second century BC (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Red lacquer tray, Song Dynasty.jpg|A lacquerware tray from the [[Song dynasty]], 960-1279 (Freer and Sackler Galleries, Washington, DC)
Red lacquerware dish, Ming Dynasty.jpg|A lacquerware dish from the [[Ming dynasty]], late 15th to mid-16th century (Freer and Sackler Galleries, Washington, DC)
Shaolinsi.JPG|The main gate of the [[Shaolin Monastery]] in Dengfeng, Henan is painted vermilion or Chinese red.
Forbidden City August 2012 28.JPG|Vermilion columns in the throne room in the [[Palace of Heavenly Purity]] in the [[Forbidden City]] of Beijing
</gallery>

== In nature ==
[[File:Scarlet Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) male, Pantanal, Brazil 2.jpg|alt=Vermilion flycatcher (male)|thumb|Vermilion flycatcher (male)]]
* [[Vermilion flycatcher]]
* [[Vermilion cardinal]]
* [[Vermilion tanager]]

== In art and culture ==
<gallery heights="160">
Villa of Mysteries (Pompeii)-20.jpg|The bright vermilion murals in the Villa of Mysteries in [[Pompeii]] (before 79 AD) were painted with ground and powdered [[cinnabar]], the most expensive red pigment of the time.
Masaccio, pala colonna, santi girolamo e giovanni battista.jpg|The painting of [[Saint Jerome]] by [[Masaccio]] (1428–29) featured a vivid robe painted with vermilion.<ref>David Bamford and Ashok Roy, ''A Closer Look: Colour'' (2009), National Gallery Company Limited ({{ISBN|978 1 85709 442 8}})</ref>
Girart de Roussillon (full page).jpg|A page of the Roman de Girart de Roussillon (1450). Both vermilion and minium, or red lead, were used in Medieval manuscripts. Vermilion, as expensive as gilding, was usually reserved for the most important illustrations or designs.
Theyyam make-up002.jpg|[[Theyyam]] of [[Kerala]]
</gallery>

=== Religion ===
[[File:Red tikka powder.jpg|thumb|''[[Sindoor]]'' is a vermilion-colored powder with which Hindu women make a mark in their hairline to indicate they are married.]]
* The [[Shaolin Monastery|Shaolin temple]], where [[Buddhist monk]] [[Bodhidharma]] is reputed to have established the new sect of [[Chan Buddhism]] ([[Zen Buddhism]]), is colored a bright tone of vermilion. This temple was featured in the West by the 1972–1975 TV series ''[[Kung Fu (1972 TV series)|Kung Fu]]''.
* In the Bible, vermilion is listed as a pigment that was in use for painting buildings during the reign of Shallum the son of Josiah king of [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]], and is named in the book of the prophet [[Ezekiel]] as a pigment used in art that portrayed [[Chaldea]]n men. (Jeremiah 22:11–14, Ezekiel 23:14–17)
* The vermilion rose is a symbol of the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Blessed Virgin Mary]].{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
* [[Hindu]] women use vermilion along the hair parting line known as ''[[sindoor]]'', to signify that they are married. Hindu men and women often wear vermilion on their foreheads during religious ceremonies and festivals.
[[File:181029 Chū-kondō of Kōfuku-ji.jpg|thumb| [[Kōfuku-ji]],Buddhism temple]]
[[File:Fushimi Inari Romon.jpg|thumb| [[Fushimi Inari-taisha]],Shintoism shrine]]

* In Japanese [[Buddhism]] and [[Shintoism]], many temples and shrines have been painted vermilion because [[Mercury (element)|mercury]], the raw material of vermilion, functions as an [[Preservative]] and because vermilion was thought to ward off evil.

=== Mythology ===
* In Han China's [[Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)|Five Elements]] cosmology (cf. [[Chinese mythology]]), one of the [[Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)|four symbols]] of the four directions is a bird called [[Vermilion Bird]], which represents the direction of south. The color red (particularly as exemplified by cinnabar/vermilion) was also symbolically associated with summer, fire, a certain note on the musical scale, a certain day of the calendar, etc.<ref>{{cite web |title=淮南子 |url=http://gj.zdic.net/archive.php?aid-1198.html}}{{fcn|date=November 2023|reason=A non-English title is insufficient}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
* ''[[Vermilion Sands]]'' is a collection of science-fiction short stories by [[J. G. Ballard]] published in 1971 about an imaginary future resort that pleases its guests by using various kinds of futuristic technology.
* ''[[Manfred]]'', a short dramatic poem by Lord Byron: "...With the azure and vermillion / which is mixed for my pavilion"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manfred, Act 1 |url=https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Byron/manfred1.html |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=knarf.english.upenn.edu}}</ref>

=== Music ===
The Dutch singer [[Simone Simons]], released her debut solo album called ''[[Vermillion (Simone Simons album)|Vermillion]]'' in 2024. On this album, the word vermillion was used for one of the song titles called "Vermillion Dreams" and also the album was called vermillion.

=== Video games ===
* Vermilion City is one of the locations used in the English-translated versions of the ''[[Pokémon]]'' video games and [[anime]]. It is a port town in the Kanto area, and the name is derived from the original Japanese name クチバシティ (Kuchiba City). Kuchiba is an orange-red color associated with sunsets and autumnal leaves and "Vermilion" was used as an approximate translation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vermilion City |website=Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia |url=http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Vermilion_City |access-date=2023-11-16}}</ref>

== Variations ==
=== Red-orange ===
{{redirect|Red-orange|the variety of orange fruit|Blood orange{{!}}Red orange}}
{{Infobox color
|title=Red-Orange
|hex=FF5349
|source=[[List of Crayola crayon colors|Crayola]]
|isccname=Vivid red}}

The [[Crayola]] color '''red-orange''' has been a Crayola color since 1930.
{{clear}}
=== Orange-red ===
{{Infobox color
|title=Orange-Red
|hex=FF4500
|source=[[Web color#X11 color list|X11]]
|isccname=Vivid reddish orange}}

The [[web colors|web color]] '''orange-red''' was formulated in 1987 as one of the [[X11 color names|X11 colors]], which became known as the [[X11 color names|X11 web colors]] after the invention of the [[World Wide Web]] in 1991.
{{clear}}
=== Medium vermilion ===
{{infobox color
|title=Medium Vermilion
|hex=D9603B
|source=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110813205222/http://colors.bravo9.com/nbs-iscc-p-plochere-color-system/list/all/ Plochere]
|isccname=Strong reddish orange}}

This color is the medium tone of vermilion called '''vermilion''' on the Plochere color list, which was formulated in 1948 and is used widely by interior designers.
{{clear}}
=== Chinese red ===
{{Infobox color
|title = Chinese Red
|hex = AA381E
|source = {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20121122220449/http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-c.htm ISCC-NBS]}}
|isccname = Deep reddish orange}}

'''Chinese red''' or '''China red''' is the name used for the vermilion shade used in Chinese [[lacquerware]]. The shade of the color can vary from dark to light depending upon how the pigment is made and how the lacquer was applied. Chinese red was originally made from the powdered mineral cinnabar, but beginning in about the 8th century it was made more commonly by a chemical process combining mercury and sulfur. Vermilion has significance in [[Taoism|Taoist]] culture, and is regarded as the color of life and eternity.

"Chinese red" appears in English in 1924.<ref>Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample of Chinese Red: Page 29 Plate 3 Color Sample J12</ref>
{{Clear}}
== See also ==
* Red
** [[Scarlet (color)]]
** [[Persian red]] ("artificial vermilion")
* [[List of colors]]
* [[Red pigments]]
* [[List of inorganic pigments]]
* [[Kumkuma]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Further reading ===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Varichon |first=Anne |title=Couleurs: Pigments et teintures dans les mains des peuples |language=fr |year=2005 |location=Paris |publisher=Seuil |isbn=978-2-02-084697-4}}
*{{cite book |last=Yan |first=Chunling |title=Chinese Red |publisher=Foreign Language Press |year=2008 |location=Beijing |isbn=978-7-119-04531-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/chinesered0000yanc}}
*{{cite book |last=Ball |first=Philip |title=Bright Earth: Art and Invention of Colour |publisher=Hazan (French translation) |year=2001 |isbn=978-2-7541-0503-3}}
*{{cite book |last=Eastaugh |first=Nicholas |title=Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments |publisher=[[Butterworth-Heinemann]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-7506-5749-9}}
* Martín-Gil, J; Martín-Gil, FJ; Delibes-de-Castro, G; Zapatero-Magdaleno, P; Sarabia-Herrero, FJ (1995). "The first known use of vermillion." ''Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences'', 51(8): 759–761
* Chase, W.T., Feller, R.L., Gettens, R. J., Vermilion and cinnabar. Studies in Conservation, 17 (2), 45–69
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.npi.gov.au/substances/mercury/index.html National Pollutant Inventory: Mercury and compounds fact sheet]
* {{cite web |url = http://webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/vermilion.html |title=Vermilion |work=Pigments through the Ages |publisher=WebExhibits}}
* {{cite web |url = http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/10.html |title = Why are cinnabar, vermilion, and cadmium orange colored? | work=Causes of Color |publisher=WebExhibits }}
* [http://www.consultsos.com/pandora/in210102.htm More information in Medical Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111144157/http://www.consultsos.com/pandora/in210102.htm |date=2019-01-11 }}
* [http://colourlex.com/project/vermilion/ Vermilion], Colourlex
* {{cite NIE |wstitle = Vermilion |short = x }}

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{{Shades of red}}
{{Shades of orange}}
{{Color topics}}
[[Category:8th-millennium BC establishments]]
[[Category:Tertiary colors]]
[[Category:Quaternary colors]]
[[Category:Inorganic pigments]]
[[Category:Sulfides]]
[[Category:Mercury(II) compounds]]
[[Category:Alchemical substances]]