When I was a kid, my favorite crayon was the one called "Burnt Sienna."
It produced a warm orange-brown color that reminded me of Georgia Red Clay.
I wasn't far off the mark. The rich pigments of the color sienna are derived from a form of limonite clay used in the production of oil-based paints.
Ferric oxides found in certain soils produce the complex color. Natural soil pigments, such as siena, ochre and umbra are found in many cave paintings and are believed to be the first pigments used by humans.
Burnt sienna is a warm reddish-brown hue, created by heating raw sienna to remove excess water from the clay.
"Sienna" is short for Terra di Siena, or "earth of Siena." The color is named for the town of Siena, ITALY, where it occurs in abundance.
The southwest entrance to Siena through medieval city wall.
Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall)
Piazza del Campo
A beautiful medieval door
In Siena, ITALY, the Cathedrale di Santa Maria, known as the Duomo, is a treasure trove of sacred art from the 13th and 14th centuries.
This marble mosaic by an unknown artist depicts the "she-wolf," symbol of Siena
Our guide explained that the relief on this bronze door to the Duomo (Siena, ITALY) depicts the "glorification of the virgin."
Cathedral de Santa Maria Assunta
(Holy Mary of the Assumption)
These colorful frescoes on the library ceiling were painted by Umbrian artist Bernardino di betto, better known as "Pinturicchio." The sequential panels depict the life story of Siena cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who eventually became Pope Pius II.
Fresco Painted Archway
Bernardino di Betto (Pinturicchio) painted several frescoes in the Cathedral.
This one, in the nave above the door to the Piccolomini Library, substitutes portraits of Pinturicchio's patrons for the faces of the saints.