How Colors Were Made in the Past: The Surprising Origins of Natural Pigments

The world of painting and creative art is largely built on something we take for granted today: color. When we want to create a painting, we use paints of various kinds, choose the desired color, and begin. But what actually makes a substance appear red, yellow, or blue?

From Natural Pigments to Modern Materials

Today, most colors are produced from synthetic materials. In the past, however, pigments were made from natural sources. These pigments, substances that give color to different creations, were derived from materials ranging from stones to animals. Any colored compound found in the cells of living organisms is considered a pigment, and throughout history, people produced a wide range of colors from animals and other natural materials. One well known example is the murex snail, from which the blue dye for tzitzit was made. But what about other colors? Following are a few examples.

Blue from Stone: Lapis Lazuli

To create a blue pigment, ancient cultures used a stone called lapis lazuli, which was brought from the region of Afghanistan. The stone was crushed and ground, mixed with oil or wax, processed with chemicals, and turned into a vivid blue powder.

Purple from Sea Creatures

The Romans produced a purple dye from murex snails, which secrete a deep reddish purple liquid. To extract the color, the shells were broken and the dye was collected, a process that was long and expensive. As a result, purple fabrics were highly valuable.

Red from Insects: Cochineal

In South America in earlier times, red pigment was made from cochineal insects that live on cacti. These insects contain large amounts of carminic acid, which produces a strong red color. To produce one kilogram of pigment, more than 150,000 insects were needed.

Red from Plants: Madder Root

In Europe, a slightly different shade of red was produced from the roots of the madder plant. The roots were boiled in water, releasing a distinctive red dye.

Orange Red from Minerals: Vermilion

An orange red color was at times created from mercury, a metal also known as quicksilver. When mercury is combined with sulfur, it produces a pigment called vermilion.

Indigo: Between Blue and Purple

The color indigo, which lies between blue and purple, was named by Isaac Newton after the indigo plant, from which it was traditionally derived. This plant, along with woad, was used to produce indigo dye, which was once rare and highly valuable.