It first appeared as a pigment in the region around afghanistan where it has been found in 6th and 7th century wall paintings in the cave temples of bamiyan. A brief history of ultramarinethe worlds costliest color. Ore containing the colour was ground, and the powdered lapis lazuli was separated from the other mineral matter. Ultramarine blue is one of the most storied pigments in art history, coming from lapis lazuli in afghanistan as early as the second century bc. With all existing formulas 4 blue pigments can be obtained. The pigment was first produced artificially in the late 1820s in france and germany, being made from about equal amounts of china clay, sulfur, and sodium carbonate. A pure, deep blue, fine particle, synthetic ultramarine discovered in 1826 in france by jeanbaptiste guimet and sold commercially in 1828. Fra angelico blue, pure 1st grade pigment, ultramarine ash, lapis fine powder. Uplar4 ultramarine blue c,p red shade acid resistant ultramarine blue primarily for coatings and plastics or any other application where resistance to mildly acidic conditions is required. Har bhajan singh, kumar avinash bharati, in handbook of natural dyes and pigments, 2014. This code is composed of a hexadecimal 41 red 65256, a 66 green 102256 and a f5 blue component 245256. Since the 19th century, ultramarine has been manufactured artificially. It was more expensive than gold during the renaissance.
Ultramarines are inorganic pigments that are used as dyes. Ultramarine blue, very dark approved product products bearing the ap product seal of acmi are certified in a program of toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans or cause acute or chronic health problems. Overview ultramarine is also known as french ultramarine, and permanent blue. Milori blue milori blue is a pigment blue 27 that offers excellent lightfastness and weather fastness. Aug 17, 2018 the lapis lazuli blue being used in europe was a dark ultramarine blue. The hue is a necessary component in a balanced palette of warm and cool colors. Understandable, george natural pigments sells genuine lapis lazuli and also lists it as pigment blue 29 here. Pigments through the ages history ultramarine webexhibits. David coles, founder of langridge artist colours, published a book early in 2019 that explains the history of colour and pigment use.
The egyptian book of the dead recognizes lapis lazuli, carved in the. All kinds of color cosmetics in the us prohibited for lip care products, personal care products, soaps country of origin. Ultramarine is a deep blue color pigment which was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into. Blue has been an important colour in art and decoration since ancient times. The name comes to us from the italian, oltre marino, or beyond the sea. The isolation of new elements in the late 18th century also played a part in providing new colours. Nov 05, 2019 before the 19th century, ultramarine blue pigment was made with lapis lazuli, a luminous blue mineral mined in afghanistan.
And this is what they say about french ultramarine. Eastaugh, 2004 the mineral occurs in nature as a product of limestone metamorphism and typically is. It was ultramarine, she would later learn, a pigment that a millennium ago could only have come from lapis lazuli originating in a single region of afghanistan. Jumping ahead in time, a blue pigment known as ultramarine meaning beyond the sea became incredibly popular during the italian renaissance. It is a brilliant blue solid with a slight red tinge and it has been used in paints for at least fifteen hundred years, although it was used as a colorant for a much longer time than that. In 1828 a low cost blue was created by jeanbaptiste guimet called french ultramarine. The beginning of the development of ultramarine blue, artificial was known from goethe. French blue, yet another historic name for ultramarine, was adopted by the textile and apparel industry as a color name in the 1990s, and was applied to a shade of blue that has nothing in common with the historic pigment ultramarine. Gobain, which caused the societe pour lencouragement dindustrie to offer, in 1824, a prize for the artificial production of the color.
Precious blue pigment preserved in the dental plaque of an 11thcentury woman has revealed the earliest evidence that medieval women may have been the artists behind some of europes most richly illustrated books. I have many paints, but this color by golden is my favorite. Brown, ultramarine for fabrics and finishes, crayon peachliterally the color of peach crayonsfor tile and walls, dusty terra cotta. Sally kuchar, sunset magazine, interior designer noz nozawa is becoming the queen of colorful interiors, 4 mar. Ultramarine is a blue pigment consisting primarily of a zeolitebased mineral containing small amounts of sulfur. Ultramarine, pigment in the gem lapis lazuli, used by painters as early as the european middle ages. These pigments are mined from the earth inorganic, processed and filtered to remove harmful impurities such as lead or mercury. Most materials selectively absorb certain wavelengths of light. Complete with pigment making recipes, the etymology of colour names and examples of colours in use, it is a comprehensive guide to colour and a visually stimulating read.
Raphael, leonardo da vinci and michelangelo buonarotti used the pigment. In the eighth century chinese artists used cobalt blue to colour fine blue and white porcelain. This is the superlative blue, the endall blue, the blue to which all other hues quietly aspire. Some crooks would try to sell the substitute pigments has ultramarine for a profit by selling the fraudulent blue pigment as the full price ultramarine and keeping the dividends for themselves. The woman with lapis lazuli in her teeth the atlantic. Ultramarine blue, dark approved product products bearing the ap product seal of acmi are certified in a program of toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans or cause acute or chronic health problems. Ultramarine pigment may reveal forgotten female scribes of. This pigment is widely used in applications that require improved appearance about brightness, transparency, surface smoothness. The semiprecious stone lapis lazuli was used in ancient egypt for jewellery and ornament and later, in the renaissance, to make the pigment ultramarine, the most expensive of all pigments. Currently, all of the commercially used ultramarine is made artificially by a furnace process. Most blues contain a slight mixture of other colours. Ultramarine definition of ultramarine by merriamwebster. While the blue being used in new spain reflected the vivid azure, originally extracted from anil by the maya.
From the decorative egyptian blue of the ancient world, to the precious ultramarine and prussian blue pigments used in some of the worlds greatest masterpieces, the color blue has a fascinating history spanning around 6,000 years. Why robert gamblin loves the color ultramarine blue. Standard ultramarine and color company, huntington, west virginia. Ultramarine is famous for having been the most expensive pigment. A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelengthselective absorption. Synthetic ultramarine was produced at the beginnig of the nineteenth century. The color of ultramarine blue, pink, green, red, or violet is determined by the ratios of the materials used to manufacture the ultramarine pigment.
Jun 08, 2015 rafael reserved ultramarine for his final coat, preferring for his base layers a common azurite. Pb29 ultramarine blue pigments offer a unique reddish blue shade that make white shades appear whiter, grey shades appear more blue, and. Jan 09, 2019 it was ultramarine, she would later learn, a pigment that a millennium ago could only have come from lapis lazuli originating in a single region of afghanistan. A handbook of their history and characteristics, volume 2. In 1814, tassaert observed the spontaneous formation of a blue compound, very similar to ultramarine, if not identical with it, in a lime kiln at st. Its rather strange that the book precedes the show by a whole year, noted auerbach. Yinmn blue pigment history page in the science of modern colour chapter pigment recipes. Ultramarine blue red shade pigment natural pigments. If you add just a touch of black, it makes a beautiful gray blue color.
This mediumtodark warm reddish blue is highly lightfast and of. For less saturation, sedimentation and cost, use ultramarine blue straight, for vibrant crayonlike color or mixed with a cool red for dark, effective neutrals. Ultramarine pigment may reveal forgotten female scribes of medieval monasteries. Mined in northeastern afghanistan in the 14th and 15th centuries, it had to be brought down from the mountains on the backs of donkeys, then. Used widely in europe from around the twelfth century, ultramarine is one of the most prevalent colours in western art history. Before the 19th century, ultramarine blue pigment was made with lapis lazuli, a luminous blue mineral mined in afghanistan. Blue pigment in 1,000yearold teeth links women to the.
At a stage in history, the blue art pigment was considered the most. Ultramarine blue, dark ultramarine pigments pigments of. There are two distinct kinds of ultramarine produced, soda. Ultramarine sickness is no longer relevant in todays manufacturing of ultramarine, the pigment is immune to ultramarine sickness if properly treated. Vermeer was less parsimonious in his application and proceeded to mire his family in debt. Europeans called the expensive powdered pigment ultramarine, which literally means over the sea. Jun 12, 2019 yinmn blue pigment history page in the science of modern colour chapter pigment recipes.
Ultramarine blue originally signified pigment made of lapis lazuli a superprecious paint made from a semiprecious stone from afghanistan. A double silicate of sodium and aluminum with some sulfur, it is prepared commercially from kaolin, sulfur, soda ash, and other inexpensive ingredients. Golden heavy body acrylic paint, 2ounce, ultramarine blue. Ultramarine blue, dark ultramarine pigments pigments. Ultramarine blue for plastics owing to nonshrinking, nonwarping, outstanding heat and light stability, ultramarine blue is used for masterbatches applications. It lies between violet and green on the spectrum of visible light. I have mixed the ultramarine blue with white myself many times, but find that having this predone for me, saves me time, money and frustrations. The information in these articles was updated for this. Unless you make your own pigment, the pigment is chemically treated to prevent ultramarine sickness.
Alkali blue is the strongest blue pigment available and is marketed in several physical forms. Others that sell lapis also designate it as pb29, as does most all other sources. Synthetic ultramarine is identical in elemental composition and structure to the naturally produced ultramarine see lapis lazuli or ultramarine, natural. The crazy stories behind 6 of the worlds rarest colors. This mediumtodark warm reddishblue is highly lightfast and of. The batch of pigment obtained from the rock required several further washing before a rich blue could be achieved.
First used in 6th century afghanistan, the pigment found its most extensive use in 14th and 15th century illuminated manuscripts and italian panel paintings, often reserved for. Mar 19, 2018 the amazing story of ultramarine, the color pigment once more expensive than gold bars. Mineral powder pigments such as oxides, ultramarines and micas are cosmeticgrade. The lapis lazuli blue being used in europe was a dark ultramarine blue. Artists pigments, volume 2 national gallery of art. Ultramarine blue, very dark ultramarine pigments pigments. Most people would substitute ultramarine with cobalt, smalt, indigo or azurite. The long and fantastic story of blue art pigments widewalls. Genuine ultramarine was so expensive that a prize was offered to whoever could develop a synthetic alternative that was a tenth of the cost. During the medieval period, only a few sources of blue pigment were known, including ultramarine, which is made by.
Standard ultramarine and color company, huntington, west. Ultramarine is a complex sodium silicate containing sulfur and aluminum with the chemical formula na7al6si6o24s3. Preparation of ultramarine for painting under the guidance of anita chowdry during the workshop we were able to examine illuminated and illustrated pages in a number of manuscripts from the bodleian library collection. His painting the entombment, the story goes, was left unfinished as the result of his failure to procure the prized pigment. This magnificent pigment helped create some of the most beautiful paintings in history.
Lapis is the latin word for stone and lazuli comes from lazulum which comes from the persian word lazhuward which is the name of the stone in persian. Next to the egyptian blue and the ultramarine, both indigo and a shade of prussian blue. Ultramarine blue is a historical pigment having been found in egyptian tomb paintings. The story of ultramarine blue and french ultramarine. Can be tinted with titanium dioxide to create different blue shades. The inks are used in printing books, magazines and greeting cards. They are approved for use in soap, mineral cosmetics and cosmetic bases. Ultramarine, genuine made from the semiprecious gem lapis lazuli was so costly in the nineteenth century that artists infrequently used it. Ironfree kaolin, sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, sulfur, and charcoal manufacture. The pigment was first produced artificially in the late 1820s in france and germany. In an ancient nuns teeth, blue paint and clues to medieval life a rare blue pigment, discovered in the fossilized plaque of a german nun, hints at a broader role for women in the production. This pigment is widely used in applications that require improved appearance about. Ultramarine is a deep blue color pigment which was originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder.
The eye perceives blue when observing light with a dominant wavelength between approximately 450 and 495 nanometres. Eastaugh, 2004 the mineral occurs in nature as a product of limestone metamorphism. The name derives from the latin ultra beyond and mare the sea, a reference to its remote origins. Synthetic pigment starting in the mid1800s, artists and chemists began developing synthetic blue pigments for use as alternatives to ultramarine blue made from lapis lazuli. Ultramarine blue is the oldest and most brilliant of the blue pigments. The amazing story of ultramarine, the color pigment once more expensive than gold bars. Blue is one of the three primary colours of pigments in painting and traditional colour theory, as well as in the rgb colour model. Chromatopia also includes practical recipes on how to create your own pigments so you can start experimenting, including recipes for lead white, carmine lake, ultramarine the amount of lapis lazuli you need may be impractical for most home. Ultramarine blue is slightly less granular in concentrated washes. Lapis lazuli and the history of the most perfect color the new. This volume describes the history, characteristics, and scientific analysis of nine pigments that were originally discussed in articles published in studies in conservation between 1966 and 1974. Jan 09, 2019 ultramarine pigment may reveal forgotten female scribes of medieval monasteries. During the renaissance, it was the most expensive pigment used. Ultramarine blue is the manufactured or synthetic form of naturally occurring lapis lazuli.