Vandyke brown

American  

noun

1. a medium brown color.

2. any of several dark-brown pigments consisting of iron oxide mixed with lampblack or similar materials.

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Vandyke brown British  

noun

1. 1. a moderate brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a Vandyke-brown suit

2. any of various brown pigments, usually consisting of a mixture of ferric oxide and lampblack

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Etymology

Origin of Vandyke brown

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

By admixture with Antwerp blue or indigo it affords a fine range of quiet greens, also a very serviceable yellowish drab with Vandyke brown.

From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Salter, Thomas

Perfectly stable in either vehicle, it may sometimes be substituted for Vandyke brown, is eligible in fresco, and invaluable in buildings.

From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Salter, Thomas

Vandyke brown is used to color the filler, if none but natural color is to be had.

From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by Windsor, H. H. (Henry Haven)

The first may be regarded as a superior Vandyke brown, the second as a superior umber.

From Field's Chromatography or Treatise on Colours and Pigments as Used by Artists by Salter, Thomas

The pigments most used for oil stains are: burnt and raw umber, burnt and raw sienna, Vandyke brown, drop black, and medium chrome yellow.

From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William