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Description
Beloved by artists throughout the ages, cobalt blue is the epitome of purity and brilliance, evoking both mystery and opulence. The discovery of the precious colour was as groundbreaking as it was masterful, for it resulted in some of the most cherished artworks in existence.

A new blue was needed and French interior minister Jean-Antoine Chaptal commissioned the distinguished chemist Louis-Jacques Thénard to develop a synthetic substitute for ultramarine. Inspired by the arresting blue glazes of Sèvres porcelain made from salts containing cobalt, Thénard experimented with a mix of cobalt salts and alumina. The result was ravishing — a pure, brilliant blue.

“The invention of cobalt blue allowed the explosion of bright colour and creativity that we see in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings,” said Dr. McKever. Renoir, Monet, Morisot, Sisley and Cézanne favoured it in particular.

Description
Beloved by artists throughout the ages, cobalt blue is the epitome of purity and brilliance, evoking both mystery and opulence. The discovery of the precious colour was as groundbreaking as it was masterful, for it resulted in some of the most cherished artworks in existence.

A new blue was needed and French interior minister Jean-Antoine Chaptal commissioned the distinguished chemist Louis-Jacques Thénard to develop a synthetic substitute for ultramarine. Inspired by the arresting blue glazes of Sèvres porcelain made from salts containing cobalt, Thénard experimented with a mix of cobalt salts and alumina. The result was ravishing — a pure, brilliant blue.

“The invention of cobalt blue allowed the explosion of bright colour and creativity that we see in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings,” said Dr. McKever. Renoir, Monet, Morisot, Sisley and Cézanne favoured it in particular.