Die Pigmente der antiken Malerei

Scientific analysis of painted antique objects provides us with information about the pigments used in earlier periods of history. Beginning in prehistoric times, coloured earths and minerals were used exclusively until the 3rd millenium B.C. when an extensive production of artificial pigments started. Following Egyptian Blue, a potassium copper chloride, cobalt blue, and a cobalt aluminium oxide was invented but used only over a short period, until it was reinvented 200 years ago. In the Greecian and Roman times the palette was considerably enlarged by the use of other coloured minerals and artificially prepared pigments.