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Chromatopia : an illustrated history of colour / David Coles ; with photography by Adrian Lander.

By: Contributor(s): Publication details: New York : Thames & Hudson, 2019.Description: xv, 223 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour) ; 22 cmISBN:
  • 9780500501351
  • 9781760760021
  • 9781760761219
  • 9781760760618
Subject(s):
Contents:
A life lived in colour -- Glossary -- The basics of colour : Blue ; Purple ; Red ; Orange ; Yellow ; Green -- I. The first colours : Ochres ; Chalk white ; Lamp black ; Bone white ; Bone black -- II. Colour in the time of the ancients : Egyptian blue ; Orpiment ; Realgar ; Woad -- III. Colour + the classical world : Lead white ; Tyrian purple ; Indigo ; Malachite ; Azurite ; Red lead ; Verdigris ; Chrysocolla -- IV. Medieval colours : Lac ; Vine black ; Kermes ; Dragon's blood ; Lapis lazuli ; Peach black ; Lead tin yellow ; Vermilion ; Smalt ; Saffron ; Blue Verditer ; Graphite ; Naples Yellow -- V. Writing inks : Gall ink : Bistre ; Sepia ; Walnut -- VI. Dyes, lakes + pinkes : Arzica ; Brazilwood ; Logwood ; Stil De Grain ; Madder lake ; Cochineal ; The farmers of cochineal -- VII. Mysterious colours : Indian yellow ; Gamboge ; Mummy Brown -- VIII. The explosion of colours : Prussian blue ; Lead chromates ; Emerald green ; Cobalt ; Potter's pink ; Ultramarine ; Cadmium ; Cerulean blue ; Manganese -- IX. A brave new world of colour : Mars colours ; Zinc white ; Titanium white ; Synthetic chemistry of the modern world -- X. The science of modern colour : Fluorescence ; Photoluminescence ; YInMn blue ; Vantablack ; Making colour visceral: how paint is made -- Manufacturing pigments : Lead white ; Carmine lake ; Ultramarine ; Madder lake -- Artists' colour.
Summary: Did you know that the Egyptians created the first synthetic colour; or that the noblest purple comes from a predatory sea snail? Throughout history, artist pigments have been made from deadly metals, poisonous minerals, urine, cow dung, and even crushed insects. From grinding down beetles and burning animal bones to alchemy and pure luck, Chromatopia reveals the origin stories behind over fifty of history's most vivid colour pigments. Spanning the ancient world to modern leaps in technology, this is the book for the artist, the history buff, the science lover and the design fanatic.
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Book Book CGLAS Library Blue 701.85 COL (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Checked out 24/03/2025 10207

Includes bibliographical references (page 222).

A life lived in colour -- Glossary -- The basics of colour : Blue ; Purple ; Red ; Orange ; Yellow ; Green -- I. The first colours : Ochres ; Chalk white ; Lamp black ; Bone white ; Bone black -- II. Colour in the time of the ancients : Egyptian blue ; Orpiment ; Realgar ; Woad -- III. Colour + the classical world : Lead white ; Tyrian purple ; Indigo ; Malachite ; Azurite ; Red lead ; Verdigris ; Chrysocolla -- IV. Medieval colours : Lac ; Vine black ; Kermes ; Dragon's blood ; Lapis lazuli ; Peach black ; Lead tin yellow ; Vermilion ; Smalt ; Saffron ; Blue Verditer ; Graphite ; Naples Yellow -- V. Writing inks : Gall ink : Bistre ; Sepia ; Walnut -- VI. Dyes, lakes + pinkes : Arzica ; Brazilwood ; Logwood ; Stil De Grain ; Madder lake ; Cochineal ; The farmers of cochineal -- VII. Mysterious colours : Indian yellow ; Gamboge ; Mummy Brown -- VIII. The explosion of colours : Prussian blue ; Lead chromates ; Emerald green ; Cobalt ; Potter's pink ; Ultramarine ; Cadmium ; Cerulean blue ; Manganese -- IX. A brave new world of colour : Mars colours ; Zinc white ; Titanium white ; Synthetic chemistry of the modern world -- X. The science of modern colour : Fluorescence ; Photoluminescence ; YInMn blue ; Vantablack ; Making colour visceral: how paint is made -- Manufacturing pigments : Lead white ; Carmine lake ; Ultramarine ; Madder lake -- Artists' colour.

Did you know that the Egyptians created the first synthetic colour; or that the noblest purple comes from a predatory sea snail? Throughout history, artist pigments have been made from deadly metals, poisonous minerals, urine, cow dung, and even crushed insects. From grinding down beetles and burning animal bones to alchemy and pure luck, Chromatopia reveals the origin stories behind over fifty of history's most vivid colour pigments. Spanning the ancient world to modern leaps in technology, this is the book for the artist, the history buff, the science lover and the design fanatic.