The alchemy of paint : art, science, and secrets from the Middle Ages

"In The Alchemy of Paint: Art, Science and Secrets from the Middle Ages, Spike Bucklow sets out to unravel the myths behind pigments like dragonsblood - said to be a mixture of elephant and dragon blood. Examining both the medieval palette and the often cloak-and-dagger science that created it, he uncovers the secret recipes behind the luxurious colours we are familiar with today. Driven by an overriding passion for art, his aim is to restore value to colour. The purity of white is not owned by a computer manufacturer. Spike Bucklow reminds us all that our experience of colour is fundamentally a natural sensation that can verge on the divine."--Jacket. Read more... Abstract: "In The Alchemy of Paint: Art, Science and Secrets from the Middle Ages, Spike Bucklow sets out to unravel the myths behind pigments like dragonsblood - said to be a mixture of elephant and dragon blood. Examining both the medieval palette and the often cloak-and-dagger science that created it, he uncovers the secret recipes behind the luxurious colours we are familiar with today. Driven by an overriding passion for art, his aim is to restore value to colour. The purity of white is not owned by a computer manufacturer. Spike Bucklow reminds us all that our experience of colour is fundamentally a natural sensation that can verge on the divine."--Jacket