Poppy Oil

This oil is obtained from the seed of the opium-poppy, Papaver somniferum. It is of a very pale straw-colour, often almost colourless, and is nearly free from taste and smell. By nitration through hot animal charcoal it may be completely decolourized. If the fluidity of water be represented by 1000, that of poppy oil at 15.6° C. is 74. Its specific gravity at the same temperature is 0.926. Its chemical composition is near that of linseed oil; it contains the same three glycerides, but in different proportions, for it is mainly made up of linolein and olein. The large quantity present of olein causes poppy oil to be a less rapidly drying oil than linseed. Wolffen, in 1640, stated that poppy oil dries throughout in four or five days, while linseed oil forms a pellicle upon the surface. Joseph Petitot, writing from Geneva under date January 14, 1644, stated that umber is a siccative for poppy oil. Poppy oil was introduced into painting in the beginning of the seventeenth century, after linseed and nut oil.

Later on in the same century the Dutch painters acquired greater confidence in this more slowly drying oil, employing it not only in the painting process, but also for grinding their pigments, especially whites, blues, and pale tints.