| Blue as a color of paint did not exist until the | | | | paint made its debut during The Fourth Dynasty; it |
| agricultural revolution. Natural minerals like azurite | | | | existed for roughly 25 centuries. It was used until the |
| were rare and difficult to work with so they did not | | | | Fourth Century A.D., then the recipe disappeared. It |
| find there way into prehistoric paintings. | | | | would not re-emerge until the 1800s. |
| It was the Egyptians who first introduced various | | | | Not knowing exactly how blue was produced by the |
| systematic shades of paint. They used the pigment | | | | Egyptians, other cultures began producing it straight |
| Egyptian blue for centuries which has been | | | | from the gem, lapis lazuli, itself. The first known use |
| considered the first synthetic pigment. They never | | | | of blue paint as a color derived from the |
| revealed how they produced the pigment. The | | | | previous-mentioned gem was found in Afghan |
| Roman architect Vitruvius said in his work "De | | | | temples as early as the 6th and 7th centuries. By the |
| Architectura" that the color blue was made with | | | | tenth century it had spread to Asia, notably China. |
| copper, sand, and natron, which was similar to baking | | | | Soon after, it spread further to Europe and India. |
| soda. It was ground, shaped into small orbs, and | | | | In time, the pigment derived from the lapis lazuli gem |
| heated in a furnace. He also claimed, falsely, that it | | | | became known as ultramarine, which is a Latin term |
| was invented in Alexandria. However, he failed to | | | | meaning "Beyond the Sea", because it was imported |
| mention the important ingredient, lime. | | | | from Asia by ocean to Europe. Ultramarine was |
| The color blue was viewed with fondness by the | | | | valued because of it's bright color. By 1706, the first |
| Egyptians. They used the same word for blue as for | | | | synthetic blue paint produced since the Egyptian |
| the human eye. They compared blue to the precious | | | | Empire was discovered in Prussia. It was called |
| blue gem lapis lazuli, a rare, impressive stone that | | | | Prussian blue. Cobalt blue was produced in 1802 and |
| would be associated with wealth through history. | | | | throughout the 19th century blue paint went through |
| The Egyptians were able to produce blue paint | | | | various transformations. |
| because of the agricultural revolution. It provided for | | | | It has been over 13 centuries since ultramarine was |
| a more stable non-labor workforce to flourish. The | | | | first created. Eventually it was produced without lapis |
| pharaohs especially promoted the arts, and they | | | | lazuli, and in time blue's association with wealth began |
| helped to advance pigment technology. Egyptian blue | | | | to fade. |