Heavenly Blues: The Histories of Three Blue Pigments

Blue has long been associated with heaven, divinity, and transcendence, yet blue pigments originate in the earth – as stone or plant matter.

Some were made from minerals brought across vast distances; others from cultivated dyes prepared through labour-intensive processes.

This talk explores the histories of three blue pigments used in art, tracing how earthly materials have been transformed into luminous colour.