This color contains the following pigments:
Asphaltum is a transparent black pigment with low tinting strength. It is often used as a glazing black.
In high concentrations it interferes with drying and bleeds into other colors. It is prone to decomposition when exposed to sunlight.
Asphaltum is non-toxic and non-carcinogenic.
Asphaltum is a natural hydrocarbon mineral. Although it is found in mineral deposits, it is more often produced synthetically as a residue from petroleum processing or as a distillate from coal gases. Naturally occurring deposits of asphaltum have been used since prehistoric times for waterproofing. It has been used as a pigment since at least the 16th century, and probably much earlier.