Sargent's Palette
 

Blanc d' Argent
Chrome (pale)
Transparent Golden Ochre
Chinese Vermillion
Venetian Red
Chrome Orange
Burnt Sienna
Raw Umber
Garance Fronce' (Rose Madder)
Viridian
Cobalt Blue
French Ultramarine Blue
Ivory Black
Cobalt Violet

From "The Technique of Portrait Painting" by Harrington Mann, J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, printed in Great Britain.

Sargent's two palettes
 

Hi Mike,

Thanks for posting the information.

I was told by someone a while ago that Sargent used to have two palettes: one was to paint portraits of men, and the other one was for women and children. I am actually trying to search for this information. Do you (or anyone on this Forum) know where I can get this information from? I tried to search on the internet, but have not been able to get anything.

Sincerely,
Mai

I'll search through some of my Sargent Library (believe you me it's a Library) and see what I can find.

Thanks Mike! I appreciate it!

By the way, what are the equivalent of the following colours (that are listed above):

Chrome
Chrome Orange

I have no idea what the first one is. Is silver close to this?

I am currently doing a Sargent's project, and would like to get as close to his colour palette as possible. I was unable to find the above colours, so am wondering if these have been replaced by the 'modern' name. Do you have any idea what the equivalents are, or which brands of oil colours will carry these?

Thanks,
Mai

Lady Helen Vincent
 

This is a portrait of Ladt Helen Vincent here in Birmingham. The brush work here is extrordinary. View from a distance it is extremely realistic. His use of color is magnificant.

Mai Ly,

Chrome is not a silvery color at all. It is probably Chrome Yellow. Chrome Yellow, Chrome Orange and Chrome Red are all lead-chromates. Depending on the variation in the process of manufacture, lead chromates can vary from pale primrose yellow to deep orange scarlet. They are not permanent, and can turn a dark green over time or react with other colors. They were introduced in 1797. Cadmium shades of these colors are the modern replacements.

Cadmium Yellow Light, and Cadmium Orange would probably not have been available to use in Sargent's time.

Garth

Hi Garth,

Thank you so much for posting the information. I had no idea what Chrome was, and was a bit dubious about it being a 'silvery' shade!

Thanks again!

Mai

I recently bought and watched Everett Kinstler's new CD, and was pleased to learn that he owns one of Sargent's arm palettes that was in the Sargent estate in 1926.

What was interesting was that Kinstler was making a case for using a limited palette, and mentioned that when he got this palette (a gift from someone), it had six lumps where color had been placed on it. Kinstler said there was a red, a yellow, a blue, a white, and two others.

How nice. I'm liking a limited palette more and more all the time.