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37-581: Porta Romana (literally "Roman Gate") may refer to: Porta Romana (Milan) in Milan Porta Romana (Milan Metro) , Milan Metro station Porta Gemina in Ascoli Piceno , also known as Porta Romana; Porta Romana (Florence) in Florence Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

74-416: A bright, red mercury sulfide. To remove the sulfur, these crystals were treated with a strong alkali, washed, and finally ground under water to yield the commercial powder form of the pigment. The pigment is still made today using essentially the same process. Vermilion has one important defect; it is liable to darken, or develop a purplish-gray surface sheen. Cennino Cennini wrote, "Bear in mind ... that it

111-528: A gate facing in the same direction as Porta Romana; yet it was located much closer to the city centre, in a place that corresponds to what is now Piazza Missori. In the Middle Ages (12th century) the walls were enlarged, and the gate was moved outwards in the direction of modern Corso di Porta Venezia. In the 16th century, a third system of walls was built under the Spanish rule, and the gate was moved further away from

148-456: A method existed. In the early 9th century, the process was accurately described by Persian alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan (722–804) in his book of recipes of colors, and the process began to be widely used in Europe. The process described by Jabir ibn Hayyan was fairly simple: When first created, the material is almost black. As it is ground, the red color appears. The longer the compound is ground,

185-529: A survey conducted by Scenari Immobiliari in 2020, this area is in first place in the ranking of the neighborhoods that offer the best liveability in Milan. The name "Porta Romana" is used both to refer to the gate proper and to the surrounding district (" quartiere "), part of the Zone 4 administrative division of Milan (and bordering with zone 5), located south-east of the city centre. The Roman walls of Milan already had

222-408: A synthetic vermilion by combining sulfur and mercury was in use in Europe in the 9th century, but the pigment was still expensive. Since it was almost as expensive as gold leaf, it was used only in the most important decoration of illuminated manuscripts, while the less expensive minium , made with red lead , was used for the red letters and symbols in the text. Vermilion was also used by painters in

259-464: A year. The sales price is fixed by law to keep it from becoming impossibly expensive, and the price fixed is seventy sesterces a pound. In Rome, the precious pigment was used to paint frescoes, decorate statues, and even as a cosmetic . In Roman triumphs , the victors had their faces covered with vermilion powder, and the face of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill was also colored vermilion. Cinnabar

296-439: Is toxic . Vermilion is not one specific hue; mercuric sulfides make a range of warm hues, from bright orange-red to a duller reddish-purple that resembles fresh liver. Differences in hue are caused by the size of the ground particles of pigment. Larger crystals produce duller and less orange hues. Cinnabar pigment was a side product of the mining of mercury, and mining cinnabar was difficult, expensive, and dangerous, because of

333-484: Is a former city gate of Milan , Italy . In its present form, the gate dates back to the 16th century Spanish walls of Milan. Its origins can be traced further back to the Roman walls of the city, which had a corresponding "Roman Gate" roughly in the same area. Porta Romana was the first and the main imperial entrance of the entire city of Milan, as it was the starting point of the road leading to Ancient Rome . According to

370-528: Is adjacent to the city centre, and thus has a similar character as the centre itself: it is mostly a shopping district, with sumptuous 19th century- and early 20th century buildings that are either used as prestigious offices or as residences for the Milanese élite . Several institutions, including embassies and high level schools, are based in this area. Milanese celebrities that have lived here include Enzo Biagi , Enzo Bearzot , and Dario Fo . The southern part of

407-712: Is known as sindoor . Sindoor is commonly used by married women in Hindu religion. Vermilion was also used by the native peoples of America, to paint ceramics, figurines, and murals, and for the decoration of burials. It was used in the Chavin civilization (400 BC – 200 AD), and in the Maya , Sican, Moche, and Inca empires. The major source was the Huancavelica mine in the Andes mountains in central Peru. The most dramatic example of vermilion use in

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444-429: Is not in its character to be exposed to air, but it is more resistant on panel than on walls since, when it is used and laid on a wall, over a period of time, standing in the air, it turns black." Newer research indicates that chlorine ions and light may aid in decomposing vermilion into elemental mercury, which is black when in finely dispersed form. Vermilion was the primary red pigment used by European painters, from

481-665: Is of higher quality than vermilion made from ground cinnabar, which has many impurities. The pigment is very toxic, and should be used with great care. The colors are widely used in the art and decoration of Ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire , then in the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages , in the paintings of the Renaissance , and in the art and lacquerware of China . The first documented use of vermilion pigment, made with ground cinnabar, dates to 8000–7000 BC, and

518-409: Is used in mineralogy and crystallography for the red crystalline form of mercury sulfide HgS. Thus, the natural mineral pigment is called "cinnabar", and its synthetic form is called "vermilion" from red lead . Vermilion is a dense, opaque pigment with a clear, brilliant hue. The pigment was originally made by grinding a powder of cinnabar ( mercury sulfide ). Like most mercury compounds, it

555-470: The Chinese lacquer tree , or Toxicodendron vernicifluum , a relative of the sumac tree, which grew in regions of China, Korea , and Japan. The sap or resin of the tree, called urushiol , was caustic and toxic (it contained the same chemical compound as poison ivy ), but painted onto wood or metal, it hardened into a fine natural plastic, or lacquer surface. The pure sap was dark brown, but beginning in about

592-608: The Old French word vermeillon , which was derived from vermeil , from the Latin vermiculus – the diminutive of the Latin word vermis for worm. The name originated because it had a similar color to the natural red dye made from an insect, Kermes vermilio , which was widely used in Europe. The first recorded use of "vermilion" as a color name in English was in 1289. The term cinnabar

629-428: The 20th century, the cost and toxicity of vermilion led to its gradually being replaced by synthetic pigments, particularly cadmium red, which had a comparable color and opacity. In China, the color vermilion was also playing an important role in national culture. The color was mostly used in creating Chinese lacquerware , which was exported around the world, giving rise to the term "Chinese red". The lacquer came from

666-659: The Americas was the so-called Tomb of the Red Queen , located in Temple XIII, in the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. The temple is dated to between 600 and 700 AD. It was discovered in 1994 by Mexican archeologist Fanny López Jiménez . The body and all objects in the sarcophagus were covered with bright red vermilion powder made from cinnabar. The technique for making

703-513: The Plochere color list, which was formulated in 1948 and is used widely by interior designers. Chinese red or China red is the name used for the vermilion shade used in Chinese lacquerware . The shade of the color can vary from dark to light depending upon how the pigment is made and how the lacquer was applied. Chinese red was originally made from the powdered mineral cinnabar, but beginning in about

740-458: The Renaissance as a very vivid and bright red, though it did have the weakness of sometimes turning dark with time. Florentine artist Cennino Cennini described it in his handbook for artists: This pigment is made by alchemy , prepared in a retort , which subject I will leave be since to put every method and recipe into my discussion would be too longwinded. The reason? Because if you care to take

777-479: The Renaissance until the 20th century. Because of its cost and toxicity, though, it was almost entirely replaced by a new synthetic pigment, cadmium red , in the 20th century. As cadmium can also be toxic, some scientists propose replacing this with solid solutions of the perovskites CaTaO2N and LaTaON2. Genuine vermilion pigment today comes mostly from China; it is a synthetic mercuric sulfide, labeled on paint tubes as PR-106 (Red Pigment 106). The synthetic pigment

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814-432: The centre to its current location. The construction of the gate was completed by 1596, on the occasion of Queen Margaret of Spain visiting Milan. For two centuries, Porta Romana was the most sumptuous gate of Milan. Porta Romana is located at the centre of a city square called Piazza Medaglie d'Oro, about 2 km south-east of the city centre. It is placed at the conjunction of several major streets, namely Corso Lodi (to

851-414: The city. Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion ) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide ). It is synonymous with red orange , which often takes a modern form, but is 11% brighter (at full brightness). Used first in English in the 13th century, the word vermilion came from

888-469: The district, farther away from the centre, is correspondingly less luxurious. Specific situations of urban decay , such as slums developing in abandoned traits of the old railway, have been reported. Much of the activity today centres on the Policlinico hospital and the famous Bocconi University so there is a young population by day, although there is not the same student buzz here as in other parts of

925-463: The finer the color becomes. Italian Renaissance artist Cennino Cennini wrote: "If you were to grind it every day, even for 20 years, it would keep getting better and more perfect." In the 17th century, a new method of making the pigment was introduced, known as the Dutch method. Mercury and melted sulfur were mashed to make black mercury sulfide , then heated in a retort , producing vapors condensing as

962-516: The lacquerware has changed over the centuries. During the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD) the Chinese word for red referred to a light red. However, during the Tang dynasty (618–907), when the synthetic vermilion was introduced, that color became darker and richer. The poet Bai Juyi (772–846) wrote in a song poem praising Jiangnan , "the flowers by the river when the sun rises are redder than flames", and

999-514: The south east), Viale Montenero (to the north east), and Corso di Porta Romana (leading north west, towards the Duomo). The structure of the gate is inspired by Roman triumphal arches of the doric order . The area around the Porta Romana gate is one of the historic districts ( rioni ) of Milan; the rione had its own coat of arms, vermilion red . Today, the inner part of the Porta Romana district

1036-455: The third century BC, during the Han dynasty , Chinese artisans colored it with powdered cinnabar or with red ochre ( ferric oxide ), giving it an orange-red color. Beginning in about the 8th century, Chinese chemists began making synthetic vermilion from mercury and sulfur, which reduced the price of the pigment and allowed the production of Chinese lacquerware on a larger scale. The shade of red of

1073-531: The title Porta Romana . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Porta_Romana&oldid=581619234 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Porta Romana (Milan) Porta Romana ("Roman Gate")

1110-460: The toxicity of mercury. Greek philosopher Theophrastus of Eresus (371–286 BC) described the process in De Lapidibus , the first scientific book on minerals. Efforts began early to find a better way to make the pigment. The Chinese were probably the first to make a synthetic vermilion as early as the fourth century BC. Greek alchemist Zosimus of Panopolis (third–fourth century AD) wrote that such

1147-496: The trouble, you will find a lot of recipes for it, and particularly if you cultivate friendships with monks. But, so that you do not waste your time with the many different techniques, I advise you, just take what you can find at the apothecary's for your money. And I want to teach you how to buy it and how to recognise the good vermilion. Always buy solid vermilion and not crushed or ground. The reason? Because more often than not you are cheated either with red lead or crushed brick. By

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1184-713: The word he used for red was the word for vermilion, or Chinese red. When Chinese lacquerware and the ground cinnabar used to color it were exported to Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, European collectors considered it to be finer than the European vermilion. In 1835, "Chinese vermilion" was described as a cinnabar so pure that it only had to be ground into powder to become a perfect vermilion. Historically, European vermilion often included adulterants including brick, orpiment , iron oxide , Persian red , iodine scarlet —and minium (red lead), an inexpensive and bright, but fugitive lead-oxide pigment. Since ancient times, vermilion

1221-542: The word vermillion was used for one of the song titles called "Vermillion Dreams" and also the album was called vermillion. The Crayola color red-orange has been a Crayola color since 1930. The web color orange-red was formulated in 1987 as one of the X11 colors , which became known as the X11 web colors after the invention of the World Wide Web in 1991. This color is the medium tone of vermilion called vermilion on

1258-498: Was found at the neolithic village of Çatalhöyük , in modern-day Turkey. Cinnabar was mined in Spain beginning in about 5300 BC. In China, the first documented use of cinnabar as a pigment was by the Yangshao culture (5000–4000 BC), where it was used to paint ceramics, to cover the walls and floors of rooms, and for ritual ceremonies. The principal source of cinnabar for the ancient Romans

1295-406: Was regarded as the color of blood, thus the color of life. It was used to paint temples and the carriages of the emperor, and as the printing paste for personal seals . It was also used for unique red calligraphic ink reserved for emperors. Chinese Taoists associated vermilion with eternity. The Dutch singer Simone Simons , released her debut solo album called Vermillion in 2024. On this album,

1332-550: Was the Almaden mine in northwest Spain, which was worked by prisoners. Since the ore of mercury was highly toxic, a term in the mines was a near-guaranteed death sentence. Pliny the Elder described the mines this way: Nothing is more carefully guarded. It is forbidden to break up or refine the cinnabar on the spot. They send it to Rome in its natural condition, under seal, to the extent of some ten thousand librae ( Roman pounds thus 3289 kg)

1369-672: Was used to paint the walls of some of the most luxurious villas in Pompeii , including the Villa of the Mysteries (Italian: Villa dei Misteri ). Pliny reported its painters stole a large portion of the expensive pigment by frequently washing their brushes and saving the wash water. In the Byzantine Empire , the use of cinnabar/the vermilion color was reserved for the use of the imperial family and administrators; official letters and imperial decrees were written in vermilion ink, made with cinnabar. It

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