In the art of painting cobalt is mainly known as a colour blue. The pigment that was traditionally extracted from a mineral comes, however, in various shades, varying from yellow to red and from blue to green. It was traditionally used to colour glass and ceramics. The name is derived from subterranean sprites or ‘kobolds’. But for this we have to go far back in time, to well before the Common Era.
Carmine has been used for more than 2000 years in fabrics and cosmetics. In the 18th century pigments in lacquered form derived from scale insects make their entrance onto the art scene. The colour, however, was known for its poor lightfastness. These days the characteristic dark red is therefore made from a stable, synthetic pigment.
Asphalt, also referred to as bitumen, is a typical example of a colour of which the historical name has remained, but that – fortunately – has not been made of real asphalt for a long time now. The history of this colour is somewhat sinister. Up until the beginning of the twentieth century one way of obtaining the brownish black pigment was by grinding down Egyptian mummies. It wasn’t until the early twentieth century that an alternative was developed, and mummies and natural asphalt gave way to a brownish black based on modern and highly reliable pigments.