30 Historical Pigments: Discovery, Era, and HEX Values
- Charcoal Black (Prehistoric): Used in cave art, derived from burned wood. #000000
- Red Ochre (Prehistoric): Natural iron oxide, used in early cave paintings. #7C0A02
- Yellow Ochre (Prehistoric): Earth tones from iron oxide deposits. #DFAF2C
- Egyptian Blue (Ancient Egypt): Synthetic copper silicate, symbolizing divinity. #1034A6
- Malachite Green (Ancient Egypt): Used for regeneration motifs. #0BDA51
- Tyrian Purple (Ancient Greece): Made from sea snails, symbolizing royalty. #66023C
- Cinnabar Red (Ancient Rome): Mercury sulfide, bright and toxic. #E34234
- Lapis Lazuli Blue (Middle Ages): Sourced from Afghanistan, costly and sacred. #26619C
- Vermilion Red (Middle Ages): Ground cinnabar for religious art. #FF4D3A
- Ultramarine Blue (Renaissance): Semi-precious lapis, symbolizing holiness. #120A8F
- Lead White (Renaissance): High-opacity pigment, used for shading. #FAF9F6
- Carmine Red (Renaissance): From cochineal insects, intense red hue. #960018
- Smalt Blue (Renaissance): Ground cobalt glass. #496BAF
- Prussian Blue (18th Century): First modern synthetic pigment. #003153
- Chrome Yellow (19th Century): Lead chromate, bright but toxic. #FFA700
- Mauveine Purple (19th Century): First synthetic dye, revolutionized textiles. #884DA7
- Emerald Green (19th Century): Arsenic-based, vivid but poisonous. #50C878
- Indigo (Ancient India): Plant-derived, used for fabrics. #00416A
- Alizarin Crimson (19th Century): Synthetic dye for red shades. #E32636
- Sepia Brown (18th Century): Extracted from cuttlefish ink. #704214
- Cadmium Yellow (20th Century): Cadmium sulfide, vibrant and stable. #FFF600
- Phthalo Blue (20th Century): Synthetic organic pigment. #000F89
- Phthalo Green (20th Century): Bright synthetic green. #123524
- Burnt Sienna (Renaissance): Heat-treated raw sienna, warm tones. #E97451
- Raw Umber (Ancient): Natural iron oxide, earthy brown. #826644
- Naples Yellow (18th Century): Lead antimonate, used in classical art. #FADA5E
- Ivory Black (Ancient): Burned ivory or bones, deep black. #1C1C1C
- Indian Yellow (17th Century): Derived from cow urine. #E3A857
- Titanium White (20th Century): Non-toxic replacement for lead white. #FFFFFF
- Violet de Mars (19th Century): Synthetic purple, iron oxide-based. #673147