Ancient in origin this dark brown pigment was given it’s present name in the middle ages. The name means shadow or darkness. It is the most important dark brown with no equivalent among other browns for its rich red chocolate brown color. Useful for producing rich dark neutrals it needs to be treated with subtlety as it can muddy a picture when over used. Industry uses massive quantities of this pigment and controlling burning times enables a wide variation in the color from cool dark neutral browns to the redder shades preferred by artists.It is absolutely permanent but as it contains manganese it should be treated as slightly toxic. Suitable for all media. Burnt Umber is essential in any artist bag of colors.