For centuries, blue was one of the most difficult colours for artists to obtain. While today painters can choose from dozens of blues in a single art shop, historically the most prized blue pigment was Ultramarine, a colour that was once more valuable than gold.
Ultramarine was made from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, mined primarily in what is now Afghanistan. The stone travelled along long trade routes through the Middle East before eventually reaching Europe. By the time it arrived in an artist’s workshop, it had already crossed continents.
Producing the pigment was labour-intensive. The stone had to be crushed and carefully processed to separate the deep blue pigment from the surrounding grey mineral material. The purification process required patience and skill, making the pigment even more precious.
The name “ultramarine” literally means “beyond the sea”, a reference to the long journey the pigment made before reaching European painters.
Because of its extraordinary cost, artists rarely used Ultramarine freely. Patrons commissioning paintings often specified how much of the pigment could be used and where it should appear in the composition. It frequently appeared in the robes of the Virgin Mary in Renaissance paintings, where the brilliance of the blue signified importance, purity and reverence.
Artists valued Ultramarine not only for its rarity but also for its remarkable colour quality. Unlike many historical pigments, Ultramarine produced a deep, luminous blue that remained stable over time. When layered in oil paint, the colour seemed to glow, making it ideal for skies, drapery and atmospheric passages.
Everything changed in the 19th century when chemists succeeded in creating synthetic Ultramarine. This discovery dramatically reduced the cost of the pigment and allowed artists to use the colour far more freely than ever before.
Today Ultramarine remains one of the most widely used blues in painting. Yet every tube carries a remarkable history, linking modern artists to ancient mines in Afghanistan, medieval trade routes, and the painters who once treated this colour as one of the most precious materials in their studio.
