Color: A Natural History of the Palette

Victoria Finlay takes us on an engrossing voyage across the globe and through the years in this vibrant and compelling tour through an artist's palette, demonstrating how the colors we choose to value have impacted the history of civilization itself.

How did Michelangelo's brush end up in distant lapis mines in Afghanistan, the home of the most valuable hue blue? What is the relationship between mummies from ancient Egypt and brown paint? Why was Lincoln green worn by Robin Hood? Finlay examines the social and political connotations that color has had throughout history in Color, as addition to the physical substances that give our world its color, such as insect venom and valuable minerals.

The odorous Lebanese shellfish used to dye togas purple was formerly worn by Roman emperors, suggesting that their perfume predates them. Logwood, a plant that thrived along the Spanish Main, was the name given to black dye in the seventeenth century. Amazingly, a seventeen-year-old girl called Eliza developed some of the earliest indigo plantations in America. Additionally, a researcher revealed that the iconic van Gogh painting White Roses in Washington's National Gallery was originally painted with a pink color that had faded almost a century ago, necessitating a name change. Finlay's captivating manner makes the remarkable people, events, and tales in Color even more captivating.

Experience an exciting journey alongside this courageous journalist as she rides a donkey along historic silk trade routes; with the Phoenicians exploring the Mediterranean for a unique purple shell that bestows wealth, sustenance, and prestige; and with contemporary Chilean farmers raising insects and harvesting their blood, which is a viscous red. Our world's hues have never been so vibrant.