Like Transparent Oxide Red, Mars Red, and Indian Red, Venetian Red is one shade of a synthetic iron oxide pigment (PR101).

When I was first learning to paint in oils, Venetian Red was the only red on my palette.  The reason was that it was moderate in chroma and low in tinting strength so it wouldn’t overpower my mixes, especially in flesh.

Background Info: 

A general note from a blog article, “Venetian Red: Loved by Painters, Hated by American Colonists” by Julie Snyder:  “Venetian Red is derived from natural earth clay tinted by iron oxide. The deep red pigment required by painters was mined for centuries from a quarry near Venice — hence the name. Interestingly, there still remains a pit outside Venice that is claimed to be the historical source for the finest of this pigment. The name Venetian Red, however, wasn’t coined until the 17th or 18th century. It has a superlative tinting power as it’s semi-opaque. Venetian red is a red pigment with a lower chroma (less bright) than other reds, and it has a pinkish undertone, which can be seen when mixing it with white.”

From a Just Paint article: “Some Historical Pigments and Their Replacements” on Venetian Red: “Venetian Red, Sinopia, Venice Red, Turkey Red, Indian Red, Spanish Red, Pompeian Red, and Persian Red (or Persian Gulf Red, still considered the best grade for the natural pigment) are names used to describe locations where the natural red iron was extracted from the earth. Today, Red Iron Oxide is synthetically manufactured resulting in better consistency. Oxides have been used since pre-historic times and are still important pigments today. Venetian Red usually refers to a specific bluish hue of Red Oxide, but variations range from violet reds to yellowish ones.”