271 Years Before Pantone, an Artist Cataloged Thousands of Color Swatches in a Book From the 17th Century – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007

271 Years Before Pantone, an Artist Cataloged Thousands of Color Swatches in a Book From the 17th Century

1

Before we had Pantone Color Guide, there was no universally recognized system to identify colors. But there were attempts to make it, and probably the most impressive one came from the artist known only as A. Boogert, who back in 1692 created an impressive piece of literature about mixing colors.

h/t: vintag.es, boredpanda

2

Handwritten in Dutch, the “Traité des couleurs servant à la peinture à l’eau” (“Color qualities of watercolor paint”) was an 800-page long guide on color and paint that was probably the most comprehensive piece on colors at the time. It featured color samples, descriptions and even instructions on how to create certain hues and change the tone by adding one, two, or three parts of water.

3

Erik Kwakkei, a medieval book historian at Leiden University in the Netherlands who has translated parts of the book, wrote on his blog that the book was designed to be educational. “The author, who identifies himself as A. Boogert describes how to make watercolor paints. He explains how to mix the colors and how to change their tone by adding “one, two or three portions of water.” To illustrate his point he fills each facing page with various shades of the color in question (lower image). To top it he made an index of all the colors he described, which in itself is a feast to look at. In the 17th century, an age known as the Golden Age of Dutch Painting, this manual would have hit the right spot.”

4

The book is currently kept at the Bibliothèque Méjanes in Aix-en-Provence, France. The entire book is viewable in high resolution here.

5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Design You Trust Facebook page. You won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Simple, Brilliant And Funny Comics By Nathan W. Pyle
Between Fantasy And Realism: Artist Bo Bartlett Unmoors His Visions From The Everyday
"Prey for the Devil": Sensual Illustrations by Joyce Lee
The Story Of The Tiniest Jedi
Artist Creates A Christmas Miracle On Windows Of A Children’s Hospital
Stunning Surreal And Creative Photo Manipulations By Sergio de Lamo
New Amazing And Giant Splatter Ink Panda Mural by Hua Tunan
A Historically Accurate Elsa Has - Dare We Say It - An Even Prettier Dress
America Explained To Non-Americans in Satirical Illustrations by Matthew Inman
Brilliant National Lampoon Magazine Covers From the 1970s
"In Hope of a New Future": The Superb Dark, Surreal and Dreamy Art Works of Davansh Atry
Funny Illustrations About Sloths And Their Daily Life Struggles By Japanese Artist Keigo
Jim Naughten's Digital Paintings: The Artist Creates Worlds that Seem Both Familiar and Fictional
Stunning Photos From The Hair Freezing Contest Of Takhini Hot Springs
A Collection of Fabulous Potato-Themed Real Photo Postcards From the Early 20th Century
Old School Spirit: Superb Anime Illustrations by David Liu
Artist Esoj Luna Illustrated Iconic Brands As If They Were Humans
Artist Fights With Lockdown Depression By Making Comics That Comment On The Pandemic
Steve Jobs Showing Andy Warhol How To Use a Macintosh Computer that Sean Lennon Received for His 9th Birthday in 1984
"Dualism": The Superb Figurative Underwater Themed Paintings by Zhuk
Futuristic Worlds of Valentin Porada
"The Last Man on Earth": Melancholy Aesthetics in Chilling Photoworks by Jermaine Saunders
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" Unveils Vibrant Posters With Delightful Typography
Boston Artist Matthew Zaremba Has Used Art and Instagram to Process Reality and Capture His Feelings