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Basic Lead Carbonate, also called Lead White, Cremnitz White, and Silver White, it has been until recent years the most important white artists pigment used by the oil painter. Flake White (unlike Cremnitz) usually has a small amount of Zinc White added to improve its consistency. It is often ground in Poppy Seed oil to reduce yellowing. It makes the most durable of all oil paint films as the lead itself increases the strength and flexibility of the linseed oil paint film, and it was for this reason as well as its faster drying speed that caused many old masters to put a little of it in all paint colors. Health considerations have caused Titanium White to replace Lead White on artists palettes, but Titanium cannot replicate the delicate tints made with Flake White, nor does it help the overall durability of the picture.
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