AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Prussian blue and cobalt blue8/9/2023 Blue, or specifically ultramarine blue, was often used in images of the Virgin Mary. This shows that a great deal of money was paid to create the illuminated manuscript, but also how precious and important the colour was to those creating the artwork. The presence of the pigment means that the lapis lazuli went all the way from Afghanistan to Scotland, where the book was made. An example of a Middle Ages artwork featuring lapis lazuli is the illuminated manuscript The Book of Kells, from the late 8th early 9th century. Eventually it made its way from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean via the Silk Road. It did not make it to Europe until the Middle Ages however, for centuries it had been traded along the Silk Road, an ancient trading route that linked East Asia and Southeast Asia with South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Southern Europe. It was then used to create a colour known as ultramarine blue. In the 6th century CE people figured out how to properly utilise the pigment by mixing it with several materials to form a paste and then heating it. Due to its composition, when they would attempt to grind it, the colour would end up being grey rather than a brilliant blue. Additionally, there is evidence and artworks from Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt that show the use of lapis lazuli, however they did not grind it to make a pigment. It was very expensive in fact, it was similar in price to gold. For most of the colour blue’s history, this was the only place people mined for lapis lazuli. This semi-precious and complex rock was mined in parts of Afghanistan as early as the 7th century BCE. The key to most blue pigments is lapis lazuli. From religion, to royalty, to industry and then to art, let’s take a closer look at blue. The discovery of synthetic blue pigments made it accessible and among the most popular colours used by artists. During the Industrial Revolution it was a symbol of the improvements of pigment manufacturing. This association with royalty, and the Virgin Mary, made the colour blue’s popularity increase over the centuries. In the 12th century blue was embraced by royalty and became the royal colours of France. Later to people in the Middle Ages, it was considered divine and associated with the Virgin Mary, with most images of Mary depicting her wearing blue robes. In the classical period, for the Romans the colour was a symbol of misfortune, mostly due to Celtic soldiers wearing blue body paint. The colour blue has a very complex history with origins in Afghanistan, journeying down the Silk Road to Renaissance Venice and eventually ending up being manufactured in the laboratories of Germany.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |