Experience Medieval Alchemy At The Colour Makers House

The sky and sea appear blue, yet they have no colour.

How do we create this illusion?

Let’s venture into the rarefied realm of the heavenly, uncovering the secrets behind nature’s most elusive colours, those vivid blues and greens. They rarely appear in nature except as semi-precious gemstones such as Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, and Azurite.

With their ingenuity, artists have used smalt, a powdered blue glass, and pigments made from waste liquids from refining silver and lead to create blues and greens. Despite the challenges they faced in reliably making blue, such as its sensitivity to temperature, they persevered. These colours were also used in house decoration to showcase the owner's wealth, a testament to the artists' creativity and resourcefulness.

While cobalt was used to colour glass and ceramics for thousands of years,  it wasn't until the end of the 18th century that they could make a reliable blue pigment from it.

In 1826, a significant milestone was reached with the introduction of Ultramarine Blue, the synthetic version of Lapis Lazuli. This pigment, which was located south of Windermere in the Lake District until 1985, marked a turning point in the history of blue pigments. Much of its production was used in laundry products, a testament to its widespread use and historical significance.

Whether extracted from precious gemstones or synthesised through ancient alchemical practices, these pigments continue to evoke the mystery and vastness of the cosmos. Today, we will experiment with these historic pigments, a practice carried out for centuries, and make our bice and verditer, continuing the legacy of these enduring colours.

Four Experiences: Natural Earths | Calcining | Blues and Greens | Alchemy Master