Chromatopia : An Illustrated History of Colour

'a beautiful primer (double entendre intended!) on the evolution of color particularly in the realm of oil paint and fine art' - New York Journal of Books

An engaging read about the history of colour

Delve into the historic and scientific background of some of our favourite hues with a copy of this fascinating book. 

Written by artist and master paint maker, David Coles, Chromatopia reveals the origin stories behind over fifty of history’s most vivid colour pigments. These include Tyrian purple, which needed 250,000 snails to produce just 1 ounce; Dragon's Blood, a garnet red resin used by Stradivarius to tint the varnish on his violins and Mummy Brown, made from the flesh, bones and wrappings of ancient Egyptian mummies.

With exquisite reproductions and concise and well-written prose, this book is highly recommended for artists, art lovers, history buffs, trivia fans and coffeetable book collectors

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