Chromatopia : An Illustrated History of Colour

Spanning thousands of of years, travel through the story of pigments and their incredible journeys from across the globe.Tales of dragons & beetles, alchemy & poisons, slaves & pirates, from the ancient world to the present come alive in this publication on colours creation.This voyage of discovery features pigments made from deadly metals, poisonous minerals, dung, crushed insects and predatory sea snails. Colours dug simply from the ground beneath us, others so expensive that only kings and popes could afford them. Subjects include ancient pigment, medieval colours, writing inks and the strange world modern colours. Also included are pigment recipes, behind the scenes of paint-making at Langridge Colours and artwork that explores the use of colours by contemporary artists.