minium

Red lead, or lead tetroxide (Pb₃O₄), is another lead oxide whose two most important uses are in paints and as an addition to litharge in storage batteries. It also has significant application in glasses, glazes, and vitreous enamels. Red lead is produced by heating litharge…

…(known as red lead, or minium) is produced by further oxidation of PbO. It is the orange-red to brick-red pigment commonly used in corrosion-resistant paints for exposed iron and steel. It also reacts with ferric oxide to form a ferrite used in making permanent magnets.

Minium (red lead) was used in the medieval scriptoria for the decoration of initial letters and also in illustrated pen drawings. Chinese white is easier to apply with a pointed brush because of its thickness; other pigments, among them indigo and green copper sulfate, are…