Sepia

Sepia, a brown pigment used as a water-colour. It is prepared from the dark-brown colouring matter of the ink-bag of a few species of Cuttle-fish (q.v.), particularly Sepia officinalis, which, though chiefly fished for in the Adriatic and Mediterranean, is also found in British seas. The pigment from the dried ink-bags is dissolved in a solution of ammonia or soda and then precipitated by neutralising the alkali with hydrochloric acid, the precipitate being afterwards washed and dried. An ounce of the natural pigment will darken several thousand ounces of water. Sepia excels all other water-colours in the ease with which its tints can be evenly put on paper with a brush. It is much used by itself for sepia drawings, and also in combination with other colours for various subdued tints. It is, however, not suitable for oil-painting. Sepia is permanent when not exposed to sunshine. Strange to say, the pigment from the ink-bags of fossil cuttle-fish possesses the same colour and character as that from recent species. An 'Indian ink' is sometimes made from sepia. This substance appears to have been used both as an ink and a pigment by the ancients.