Terre Verte Pigment Green 23: History, Uses, and Chemical Composition
Terre Verte: Two Thousand Years of the World's Quietest Green
From Roman frescoes to the Renaissance underpaint — the history, chemistry, and enduring appeal of PG23.
Jackman's Art Materials · 7 min read
One of the Oldest Pigments Still in Use
Terre Verte — French for green earth — has been used by painters for at least two thousand years. Its earliest written mention appears in an Italian source from the 1st century BCE, and surviving examples can be found in Roman wall paintings at Pompeii and across the ancient world, from Greece to India.
The pigment is derived from clay-rich deposits of two related minerals: celadonite and glauconite. The most celebrated historical sources were found near Verona, Italy — so prized that by the 16th century the pigment appeared in the Vatican's own mineral collection. Other important deposits came from Cyprus and Bohemia.
Throughout the Medieval and Renaissance periods, Terre Verte became indispensable in Italian painting. The 15th-century painter and writer Cennino Cennini devoted an entire passage to it in his treatise Il Libro dell'Arte, recommending it for faces, draperies, buildings, and fresco — and noting that the ancients used it as a ground beneath gilding.
"A natural earth colour which is called terre‑verte is green. It is good for use in faces, draperies, buildings — in fresco, in secco, on wall, on panel — and however you wish." — Cennino Cennini, c. 1400
The technique Cennini describes — using Terre Verte as a cool underpainting for flesh tones, known as verdaccio — was inspired by Byzantine artists and gave portrait painting its optical depth. The warm pinks glazed on top have often faded over centuries, leaving the Terre Verte layer more visible today than was originally intended: a testament to its extraordinary lightfastness.
What Is Terre Verte?
Terre Verte (Pigment Green 23) is a natural inorganic pigment derived from the minerals celadonite and glauconite — both silicates with a crystal structure similar to mica. Its chemical formula is:
The colour ranges from cool blue-green to warmer olive depending on the concentration of iron, magnesium, manganese, and quartz present — which is why Terre Verte from Verona looks different to that from Cyprus or Bohemia. No two sources are identical.
As a paint, genuine PG23 has a character entirely its own:
- Very low tinting strength — it will not overpower other colours, making it intuitive to layer.
- Natural transparency — ideal for glazing, underpainting, and soft washes.
- Pronounced granulation — especially beautiful in watercolour, where it settles into the paper's texture.
- Exceptional lightfastness — rated ASTM I; earth pigments are among the most stable known.
Because natural PG23 deposits are largely depleted and the genuine pigment is notoriously weak, many manufacturers substitute it with mixtures of Viridian, iron oxide, Burnt Sienna, or chromium oxide. These perform differently. At Jackman's, our Terre Verte is made with genuine PG23 — granulating, transparent, and true to the pigment's character.
How Artists Use It
In Watercolour
Terre Verte is quietly at home in watercolour. Its transparency suits soft landscape washes — foliage in shadow, weathered stone, atmospheric skies. Its granulation adds texture without effort. Because it is so weak, it works well as a near-invisible structural layer: a toned ground over which stronger colours can be built without muddying them.
It is best used generously and on its own, or with a very limited palette. In a mix dominated by stronger pigments, it will disappear.
In Oil & Underpainting
This is where Terre Verte has its deepest history. Used as a cool mid-value underpainting layer, it establishes tonal structure before warmer colours are applied on top — the verdaccio method. For portrait painters working in oil, a Terre Verte ground beneath flesh tones creates the optical complexity that makes skin look alive rather than flat.
In Gouache & Pastel
In gouache, Terre Verte's muted character is well suited to natural subjects — botanicals, landscapes, still life. In pastel, its earthy softness works for delicate skin tones and understated foliage where a brighter green would jar.
In watercolour, try Terre Verte mixed with Ultramarine Violet for a beautiful, neutral grey. Or use it straight from the pan as a monochrome study colour — its granulation alone makes the painting.
Why It Has Lasted Two Millennia
Its muted, earthy hue reads naturally in skin, shadow, stone, and foliage — where stronger greens would overpower.
Earth pigments are not significantly affected by light, heat, or atmospheric conditions. One of the most permanent pigments that exists.
A naturally transparent pigment, well suited to glazing and structural layering in both watercolour and oil.
Using genuine PG23 connects a painting to a tradition stretching back through the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, and into antiquity.
Add Terre Verte to Your Palette
Handmade in small batches. Genuine PG23.