The History of the Colour Blue: Ultramarine

In my last article, I explored the history of the first artificial blue pigment, Egyptian blue, which I am following with the most expensive blue pigment: ultramarine. Ultramarine derives from the Middle Latin ultramarinus, translating to ‘beyond the sea,’ as the lapis lazuli mineral that it is made from was imported from what is now known as Afghanistan. As I discovered through my research surrounding Egyptian blue, lapis lazuli was incredibly expensive, and ultramarine is created by tediously grinding up the mineral into a fine powder. This process renders the pigment ten times as costly as the lapis lazuli stone it is made from, and in  fourteenth and fifteenth century Europe, ultramarine was worth more than gold.

Due to the pigment’s associations with innocence and purity, its high cost and its rarity, ultramarine was often reserved for depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary

This deep shade of blue, often referred to as ‘true blue’, was first used in Sixth Century Afghanistan, in Zoroastrian and Buddhist cave temples, and became extremely popular during the European Renaissance era. Due to the pigment’s associations with innocence and purity, its high cost and its rarity, ultramarine was often reserved for depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Mary’s ultramarine garments symbolise her connection to divinity, as blue is thought of as the colour of the heavens, just as Ancient Egyptians painted their gods in blue. However, due to the extortionate price of the ultramarine pigment, artists tended to use a base layer of a more common shade, and apply a glaze of ultramarine on top. This technique was practiced by Raphael, who applied an ultramarine glaze over azurite.

On the other hand, Vermeer, renowned for The Girl in the Pearl Earring, was much more liberal with his use of ultramarine, and drove his family into debt because of his indulgence. His use of pure ultramarine creates a rich, vivid, dark blue addition to his artwork, which is visible in his paintings, such as The Art of Painting, Woman with a Water Jug, Lady Standing at a Virginal and many more. Through these paintings, Vermeer uses ultramarine to highlight female figures and create a connection between them and their surroundings. In The Art of Painting, for example, a woman dressed in ultramarine garments and headdress is painted by a man dressed in dull shades of dark blue and black. She is positioned in front of a window, the natural light causing her to almost glow next to the man in shadow. The richness of this pigment, compared to the bleak, mundane colour pallet of her surroundings, draws the viewer’s attention towards Vermeer’s female figure.

While Vermeer suffered debt due to his ultramarine use, other artists did not desire the same fate, meaning the creation of a synthetic ultramarine pigment became an imperative endeavour. In 1824, the French institute, Societé d’Encouragement, offered six thousand francs to the person who could develop a synthetic alternative. Two men claimed to have achieved the challenge, Jean-Baptiste Guimet, a French chemist, and Christian Gmelin, a German professor. It was unclear to whom the prize should have been awarded, as it was uncertain who had discovered the pigment first. After contestation, Gmelin claimed to have discovered his creation a year prior to his declaration of success, and Guimet asserted that he had created the synthetic pigment two years prior. Guimet was victorious, and the pigment became known as ‘French ultramarine.’

The ultramarine shade of blue has lost its grandeur, rarity and value, which means that it is no longer viewed as a presentation of monetary sacrifice to the art which is produced

Synthetic ultramarine is a much more vibrant pigment than pure ultramarine, as pure ultramarine is made by grinding up stone and its particles are larger than those in the synthetic pigment. Therefore, the light diffuses more evenly in synthetic ultramarine, which causes its vibrancy. The lesser cost and vibrancy of this pigment make it very desirable and popular with artists. On the other hand, the ultramarine shade of blue has lost its grandeur, rarity and value, which means that it is no longer viewed as a presentation of monetary sacrifice to the art which is produced.

The lavish, expensive ultramarine serves as an impressive addition to paintings. However, its cheaper, more vibrant synthetic replication allows this shade of blue to become widely popular with artists. Thankfully, no longer do artists need to indebt themselves to obtain splendid ultramarine.