Dioxazine violet (PV23)
June 27, 2026
På SvenskaThis text is a rework from a previous post August 2020.
Carbazole Dioxazine Violet PV23 (often referred to simply as Dioxazine Violet or Carbazole Violet) is a pigment with many different names. It’s easy to understand why such a long chemical name is often shortened or replaced. Nearly half of all paint manufacturers call it Dioxazine Violet, while only one uses the name Carbazole Violet. The rest invent proprietary names or brand-specific names, such as Winsor Violet, Schmincke Violet, or Da Vinci Violet.
Dioxazine Violet is a blue-violet, highly intense, and strongly staining colour. It has exceptionally high tinting strength, meaning that even a very small amount can dramatically influence a colour mixture. Because of its strength, it should be used with some restraint. In concentrated washes it can appear almost opaque black, but when diluted with more water it reveals a beautiful, transparent blue-violet.
It could be compared to Phthalo Blue, as the two pigments share several characteristics: enormous tinting strength, strong staining properties, and excellent transparency. Like Phthalo Blue, Dioxazine Violet is also an outstanding mixing colour.
The pigment was first developed in 1928 by the German company Hoechst, although commercial production did not begin until the 1950s. Before the introduction of Carbazole Violet, artists had few options for obtaining a deep, highly saturated violet with strong tinting strength. Dioxazine pigments therefore quickly became popular in printing inks, plastics, automotive coatings, and artists’ paints.
For many years, PV23 had a reputation for questionable lightfastness. Modern grades, however, are considerably better than earlier versions. The challenge is that lightfastness varies depending on the pigment grade, the manufacturer, the binder, and the pigment concentration in the paint. As a result, different brands may rate anywhere from Excellent to Moderate for lightfastness.
Because the pigment is so powerful, some manufacturers reduce production costs by using smaller amounts of it in their paint formulations, which can also reduce lightfastness. If you are considering buying this colour, it is worth choosing the manufacturer with some care. Personally, I would recommend Winsor & Newton, Daniel Smith, or Michael Harding.
The hue can vary slightly from one manufacturer to another. Most versions are distinctly blue-violet, while others lean more towards a red-violet. These differences are mainly caused by variations in particle size and crystal structure. Finer particles tend to produce a cleaner, redder shade, whereas coarser grades appear bluer. Manufacturers sometimes distinguish these as PV23 RS (Red Shade) and PV23 BS (Blue Shade).
Dioxazine Violet is an exceptionally versatile mixing colour. Combined with intense greens such as Phthalo Green, it produces rich blue-blacks, while mixtures with Burnt Sienna create beautiful deep earth tones. If you need to darken a yellow without significantly changing its hue, Dioxazine Violet is probably one of the best colours you can use.
Egenskaper
Pigment: PV23 (available in both Red Shade and Blue Shade – RS and BS)
Lightfastness: Excellent to Moderate
Transparency: Transparent to Semi-transparent
Staining: High
Granulation: None
Hue: Intense secondary violet, sometimes with a slightly redder bias.
DS in my palette it goes. This blog has a lot of good advice! Tack