element

White lead

Elements · Colors & materials

Lead carbonate white of older painting — beautiful and poisonous. Not metallic lead, and not chalk as a soft white earth.

Also known as Ceruse

  • White lead is used in Medicine.

    Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica lists white lead (cerussa) among cooling and drying face and ulcer drugs. First-century pharmacological use of lead carbonate white, not metallic lead alone and not chalk.

    from Pedanius Dioscorides · De Materia Medica, 1st century CE

    used in · sourced · documented

sources