stil de grain

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Stil de grain

Stil de grain is a yellow lake made from unripe buckthorn berries.

Manufacturer / product code: Kremer 37394
Chemical description: organic dyestuff, querictrin molecule.
Color: yellow
Color Index: NY 14
More info: Kremer PDF.

Stil de grain, also known as pink berry lake, buckthorn lake, or yellow lake, is a historic organic pigment and dye derived from the berries of various Rhamnus species, especially Rhamnus cathartica (buckthorn) and Rhamnus infectoria. Its use dates back to antiquity: classical writers described yellow dyes obtained from buckthorn berries for textiles, and medieval manuscripts show the pigment employed for brilliant yellows and warm golden tones. By the Middle Ages, two main varieties existed—young berry and old berry—each producing different hues.

During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, stil de grain became a widely used artist pigment in Europe. It was prized for its luminous, transparent character, making it an excellent glazing color in tempera and oil painting. When precipitated onto an inorganic substrate to form a lake pigment, it produced a range of hues from bright yellow to greenish-yellow. Artists used it for drapery, foliage, gilded effects, and delicate light passages. Its solubility and transparency also made it popular in watercolors, inks, and miniature painting.

However, stil de grain was notoriously fugitive. The organic dye molecules are sensitive to light, humidity, and alkaline environments, leading the pigment to fade or brown with time. Because of this instability, it was gradually replaced in the 18th and 19th centuries by more durable synthetic pigments such as gamboge, chrome yellow, and later, azo dyes.