Field's Chromatography

Artists' colours are examined as both visual choices and physical materials in George Field's treatise, presented here in Thomas W. Salter's revised edition. The opening discusses painted Egyptian and Assyrian monuments, using their surviving colours to consider harmony, contrast and durability. A detailed table of contents moves from general principles of colouring to the qualities of pigments, then through individual colour groups from white and yellow to grey and black.

The middle excerpt shows how closely this handbook connects painting with chemistry. Entries on several blue pigments weigh brightness, cost and stability, explaining why a striking colour may prove unsuitable for an artist's palette. Some change on exposure to air or contact with other substances. Readers interested in painting materials and the history of colour can compare these practical judgments with the broader discussion of how painters arrange colours for effect.