A History of Artists' Pigments

This is for artists who are seriously interested in colour, pigments and their characteristics and their use over time.

What follows are three titles from the publications of the research side of National Gallery of Art in Washington.

• You can download them for FREE 
• I suggest right clicking the title and opening in a new tab.

They are technical and conservation oriented as you'd expect from a National Gallery of Art - but are fascinating nonetheless.

The National Gallery of Art is home to a community of scholars that includes the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts and members of the Gallery’s curatorial, conservation, and education staffs. The National Gallery of Art Library and Gallery Archives offer exceptional resources for scholars and staff, as well as for visitors. The publishing arm of the Gallery sees to a broad distribution of the community’s scholarship.

This is very much a case of one where some serious sponsorship yielded some serious scholarship and a resource available to all.

Artists’ Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Volume 1

Robert L. Feller, editor | Published 1986 | 300 pages

This volume, the first in a series of four, describes the history, characteristics, and scientific analysis of 10 pigments that have played a major role in the history of painting.

• Indian yellow;
• cobalt yellow;
• natural and synthetic barium sulfate;
• cadmium yellows, oranges, and reds;
• red lead and minium;
• green earth;
• zinc white;
• chrome yellow and other chromate pigments;
• lead antimonate yellow; and
• cochineal and kermes carmine

Artists’ Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Volume 2

Ashok Roy, editor | Published 1993 | 232 pages

This volume describes the history, characteristics, and scientific analysis of nine pigments originally discussed in articles published in Studies in Conservation between 1966 and 1974, providing updated information reflecting new developments in conservation and technical research.

• azurite and blue verditer;
• natural and artificial ultramarine blue;
• lead white;
• lead–tin yellow;
• smalt;
• verdigris and copper resinate;
• vermilion and cinnabar;
• malachite and green verditer; and
• calcium carbonate whites 

Artists’ Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Volume 3

Elisabeth West FitzHugh, editor | Published 1997 | 368 pages

This volume, the third in a series describing the history, characteristics, and scientific analysis of artists’ pigments, covers 10 pigments

• Egyptian blue;
• gamboge;
• titanium dioxide whites;
• orpiment and realgar;
• indigo and woad;
• madder and alizarin;
• Vandyke brown;
• Prussian blue;
• emerald green and Scheele’s green; and
• chromium oxide greens.