So now we make PB29 (ultramarine) synthetically, and you can get tubes of ultramarine paint for around $5 for 250 ml of the stuff! This is purer than any artist could have gotten back then!<p>We also manufacturer other synthetic pigments such as PB15:3 (Phthalo Blue), and PR122 (Quinacridone Magenta) which are far superior than anything historically. Phthalo blue in particular is one of the strongest tinting colors in an artists pallet and is so cheap to manufacture.<p>Occasionally colors get discontinued, as was the case with Quin Gold (PO49). This is as artists are a secondary market, and when an industry stops needing a pigment, the few artists that use it have no influence. Watercolors for instance come in tiny 5ml tubes!<p>There is also some confusion about pigments created by the art supply companies. Classical colors such as 'yellow ochre' and 'burnt sienna' get replaced with modern pigments such as PR101.<p>Golden is very good at labeling paints. Winsor and Newton and Royal Talens... not so much!<p><a href="https://www.justpaint.org/sorry-wrong-umber-part-i/" rel="nofollow">https://www.justpaint.org/sorry-wrong-umber-part-i/</a><p>I love geeking out over this stuff.<p>Appendix: You want to start painting acrylics? Get the following:<p><pre><code> Cadmium Yellow Light / Cadmium Lemon (PY35)
Cadmium Yellow Deep (Make sure single pigment) (PY35)
Cadmium Red Light (PR108)
Quin Magenta / Quin Rose (PR122)
Ultramarine Blue (PB29)
Phthalo Blue (PB15:3)
Titanium White (PW6)
Ivory Black (Pbk9)
Burnt Sienna (PBr7)</code></pre>
One of the oldest exemplars of the use of lapis lazuli is "Ram in the Thicket", a pair of statues that date back to sometime between 2600-2400 BC. [0][1][2]. They're extremely intricate and, unfortunately, photographs don't do them justice. One of the pair is at the University of Pennsylvania and the other is at the British Museum.<p>[0] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_in_a_Thicket" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_in_a_Thicket</a><p>[1] <a href="https://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=368265&partId=1" rel="nofollow">https://britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collect...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=912&ei=8_lJXIK9KOOqggeTwr_gBw&q=ram+in+the+thicket&oq=ram+in+the+thicket&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l8.518.5642..5960...2.0..1.232.1485.17j2j1......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0i5i30j0i10i24.zGUWPkA6_v4" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bi...</a>
It's kind of funny how much your perception of old art changes once you know about the value of the blue pigment. If you don't know, the Scrovegni Chapel is just a very blue chapel. If you do, it becomes a ridiculous display of wealth.<p>[0] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrovegni_Chapel" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrovegni_Chapel</a><p>[1] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47QgqdeSi0U" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47QgqdeSi0U</a>
Just heard an interesting story[1] on NPR recently about scientists who were studying teeth in medieval skeletons and found Lapis Lazuli in a woman's teeth. This led them to the hypothesis that she was a scribe and that the residue in her teeth came from her putting a paint brush in her mouth.<p>The upshot of the article is about rethinking the traditional notion that all/most scribes in the middle ages were merry old monks. But they do describe what Lapis Lazuli is and what it was used for back then.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/09/683283982/a-blue-clue-in-medieval-teeth-may-bespeak-a-womans-artistry-circa-1-000-a-d" rel="nofollow">https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/09/6832839...</a>
How successful in industry are these "please subscribe" popups that come up after about 5 seconds?<p>Does anyone <i>really</i> subscribe? Is the conversion rate really significantly greater than about 0%? I have never once put my email address into the box and have a hard time imagining anyone doing so -- yet these popup boxes persist.
I always wanted to read a book on the history of pigments and other artist supplies from a chemistry perspective. In particular, how they were found, isolated and used.
I cannot read about lapis without being reminded of this tidbit:<p>"In the middle of the room, set into the lapis lazuli floor, is the foundation stone of the Home of FIFA."<p><a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/home-of-fifa/fifa-headquarters.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/home-of-fifa/fifa-headquarte...</a>
I've heard that one of the reasons that ancient paintings kept their colors for so long is because they got them from grinding up the stones like Lapis. Not sure how they make the modern colors but apparently they fade a lot faster. Some of these older paintings are hundreds of years old and still look fresh, which is pretty impressive.
I recommend the song Lazuli by the band Beach House very much.<p><a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvwl7INZykc" rel="nofollow">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvwl7INZykc</a>
Interesting article but the article does not say how much was Lapis Lazuli was worth vs gold. The author gets away with "... often prized over gold...". If Lapis Lazuli was valued only once over gold in its entire history, then statement is true, which isn't really useful info. Click-bait title much?