Ancient Middle Eastern artists used orpiment (from Latin auri, “golden”; pigmentum (pigment), “paint”) as a pigment, but it gained little attention from Western artists until the 18th century, when production of artificial arsenic trisulfide was begun. Because of its extreme toxicity, it was abandoned, except for a very fine grade called king's yellow, which was used until cadmium yellow (principally cadmium sulfide) became available.