The alchemy of paint: art, science and secrets from the Middle Ages

Abstract

"In The Alchemy of Paint: Art, Science and Secrets from the Middle Ages, Spike Bucklow sets out to unravel the myths behind pigments like dragonsblood - said to be a mixture of elephant and dragon blood. Examining both the medieval palette and the often cloak-and-dagger science that created it, he uncovers the secret recipes behind the luxurious colours we are familiar with today. Driven by an overriding passion for art, his aim is to restore value to colour. The purity of white is not owned by a computer manufacturer. Spike Bucklow reminds us all that our experience of colour is fundamentally a natural sensation that can verge on the divine."--BOOK JACKET.

Contents

Ch. 1. Colour : dyes, pigments, and metals -- Ch. 2. Ultramarine : from over the seas -- Ch. 3. Vermilion : towards the philosophers' stone -- Ch. 4. Metallic blues : the powers of the planets -- Ch. 5. Dragonsblood : the fruit of mortal combat -- Ch. 6. Gold : the riches of the unknown -- Ch. 7. Colour : the other side - Ch. 8. Vermilion : the sublime, crystallised -- Ch. 9. Gold : the love that conquers death -- Ch. 10. The science of colour : epilogue -- Notes on the text -- Bibliography -- Glossary -- Index.