Venetian red

American  

noun

1. a red pigment, originally prepared from a natural oxide of iron, now usually made by calcining a mixture of lime and ferrous sulfate.

2. a dark shade of orangish red.

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Venetian red British  

noun

1. natural or synthetic ferric oxide used as a red pigment

2. 1. a moderate to strong reddish-brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a Venetian-red coat

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Etymology

Origin of Venetian red

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

But the painter has drenched the rest of the space — walls, floor and furniture — in Venetian red.

From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2022

The painting was unusual for its time — representing identifiable objects awash in a flat monochrome surface of Venetian red, combining the figurative with the abstract and dismantling the illusion of depth.

From New York Times • Sep. 12, 2021

“FROM CHILDHOOD, I was drawn to old houses,” says Lumley, sitting at the top of his house, in a room painted Venetian red.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2018

She resembled a painting by Rubens, for her plump cheeks were pink as carnations, and her ruddy hair was of that warm shade of Venetian red so beloved by the old masters.

From The School by the Sea by Brazil, Angela

Of browns—raw Turkey umber, vandyke, Venetian red, purple-brown, brown-lake.

From Principles of Decorative Design Fourth Edition by Dresser, Christopher