Color

In this captivating journey through the colors of an artist's palette, Victoria Finlay takes us on an exciting adventure around the world and through time, unraveling how the colors we choose have shaped the history of our own culture. How did the precious ultramarine blue color travel from the remote lapis lazuli mines of Afghanistan to Michelangelo's brush? What is the relationship between brown paint and ancient Egyptian mummies? Why was Robin Hood wearing Lincoln's green? Finlay explores the physical materials that color our world, such as precious minerals and insect blood, as well as the social and political meanings color has held over time. Roman emperors used to wear robes dyed a purple color that was made from a smelly Lebanese shellfish, which probably meant that their scent preceded them. In the 18th century, the black dye was made from Campeche wood, which grew throughout the Tierra Firme. Some of the first indigo plantations were started in America, surprisingly, by a seventeen-year-old girl named Eliza. And Van Gogh's popular painting White Roses at the National Gallery in Washington had to be renamed after a researcher discovered that the flowers were originally made with a pink paint that had faded nearly a century ago. Color is packed with extraordinary people, events and anecdotes, rendered even more dazzling by Finlay's engaging style.