these colors no longer exist. technically.
i wish the small text was legible ):
here, have a transcription!
(1) Ivory Black
Antiquity-Modern Times
This deep blue-black was made from the burned and charred waste of ivory. It fell out of use as ivory did.
(2) Caput Mortuum
1700’s-1800’s
A tarry brown pigment made up of ground-up Egyptian mummies, “caput mortuum” means “worthless remains.” (I cringed transcribing this.)
(3) Vermillion
Antiquity-Modern Times
The color of mercuric sulfide cinnabar, vermillion was beautiful but rare, unstable, and toxic.
(4) Red Dye #3
Modern Times
The US Government banned this red food and cosmetics dye in 1990 for being carcinogenic.
(5) Realgar
Antiquity-Modern Times
Realgar is a highly toxic arsenic sulfide that was once the only pure orange pigment available.
(6) Indian Yellow
1400’s-1800’s
Supposedly made from the urine of cows only fed mango leaves, this color would have become rare due to its poor effects on cattle.
(7) Lead White
Antiquity-Renaissance
White paint that got its color from lead was a great pigment, but deadly.
(8) Verdigris
Antiquity-1800’s
A moderately transparent bluish green with low stability, verdigris is a copper acetate, and quite toxic.
(9) Chartres Blue
1300’s
This blue, used to color stained glass in France’s Chartres Cathedral, proved incredibly difficult to make.
(10) Smalt
1400’s-1700’s
Made from ground-up glass and cobalt, this blue was complicated to manufacture and faded easily.
(via tinsnip)
