JACKSON'S PIGMENT
STORIES BOOK
THE HISTORY OF
ARTISTS' COLOUR
From ancient caves to modern laboratories, artists’ pigments have shaped culture, science, and creative expression for millennia.
Containing over sixty richly-illustrated pigment entries that bring the history of artists’ colour to life, Pigment Stories traces how pigments have shaped art, science, and culture, from prehistoric ochres to modern quinacridones.
FROM THE SCREEN
TO THE PAGE
In June 2023, Jackson’s published the first short film in the Pigment Stories series on social media. It began as a simple idea – we wished to share the histories behind the colours on artists’ palettes, past and present, drawing from research we had accumulated over years of speaking to artists about colour. The series became more popular than we ever expected, resonating not just with artists but with anyone curious about the intersection of art, history, and human creativity.
'I love the Pigment Stories, they are fascinating.
I make all my students follow them.'
– Dame Tracey Emin
I was already a fan of the videos, now I go to bed with a new chapter every night. The edition is beautiful, the content compelling and it is a true delight to learn more about the origin of colours
- Ester, Spain
This is a beautiful book that’s been designed with care and attention to detail. Quality pictures, quality paper and stacked with detailed learning and insights into what is the building block of artistic painting.
- Paul, UK
Very well written and full of information about the history of pigment. It adds another dimension to the colours that we use and depth of meaning in their use.
- Diana, US
Beautiful book! Amazing and fascinating stories about colour. For any artist this book is a treasure to enjoy, full of amazing photographs, and of course a feast of colour for the senses.
- Nancy, Canada
Unidentified Artists, Buddha Amoghasiddhi with Eight Bodhisattvas, ca. 1200–50, Distemper on cloth, 68.9 x 54 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Philanthropic Fund Gift, 1991, 1991.74 | Vincent van Gogh, L'Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux, 1888–89, Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 73.7 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Sam A. Lewisohn, 1951, 51.112.3 | Upper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing Horus, ca. 945–700 BCE, Egyptian blue, H. 6.1 x W. 4.2 x D. 3.4 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020, 2021.41.91
Pigment Stories is both a celebration and a continuation of the social media series, and it expands on many of the narratives we began telling on screen. The short film scripts served as inspiration for the book, and were reworked and adapted into book form by Evie Hatch, Studio and Materials Specialist at Jackson’s, who writes and presents the short films. Creative direction by Hayley Connaughton guided the visual design, while photography by Darius Zomorodian captured the characteristics of each pigment. Along the way, new entries were added – pigments that hadn’t yet featured in the series, but whose stories were too good to leave untold.
The book is illuminated by artworks spanning from ancient to modern times, generously provided by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, The Walters Art Museum, and Wellcome Collection. Together, these images trace the evolution of artists’ colours, revealing how pigment innovations have driven creative practice across centuries.
Anthony van Dyck, Catherine Howard, Lady d'Aubigny, ca. 1638, oil on canvas, 106.7 x 85.4 cm, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection, 1942.9.95 | Rembrandt, The Toilet of Bathsheba, 1643, Oil on wood, 57.2 x 76.2 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913, 14.40.651
The book was printed by Pureprint in the UK on G.F Smith Munken Design, FSC-certified, ECF paper
EVERY COLOUR
HAS A STORY
Follow Lamp Black’s progression from the soot of ancient oil lamps to the European printing press, trace Ultramarine Blue’s origins as a precious stone and its groundbreaking synthetic reinvention, and discover Dragon’s Blood, a pigment once believed to be drawn from mythic battles between dragons and elephants. Find out why Carmine connects Old Master paintings with confectionery, how the car industry has driven colour innovation, and which pigment you may have used to brush your teeth. A book for artists and art enthusiasts alike, Pigment Stories reveals the hidden histories behind pigments, uncovering tales of discovery, innovation, and transformation.
