Ultramarine

Ultramarine is a deep blue <a href="/facts/Pigment/I3clCYkF">pigment</a> which was originally made by grinding <a href="/facts/Lapis_lazuli/KKPFyQFN">lapis lazuli</a> into a powder. Its lengthy grinding and washing process makes the natural pigment quite valuable—roughly ten times more expensive than the stone it comes from and as expensive as <a href="/facts/Gold/1znknojp">gold</a>.
The name ultramarine comes from the <a href="/facts/Latin/pM3Kge85">Latin</a> word ultramarinus. The word means 'beyond the sea', as the pigment was imported by <a href="/facts/Italians/dsdUeJ1n">Italian</a> traders during the <a href="/facts/14th_century/21RrVYaN">14th</a> and <a href="/facts/15th_century/UCjMywwB">15th centuries</a> from <a href="/facts/Mining/g6uDIFab">mines</a> in <a href="/facts/Afghanistan/v63Auu1C">Afghanistan</a>. Much of the expansion of ultramarine can be attributed to <a href="/facts/Venice/Xzc2uVDg">Venice</a> which historically was the port of entry for lapis lazuli in Europe.
Ultramarine was the finest and most expensive blue used by <a href="/facts/Renaissance/4D9Bc6KU">Renaissance</a> painters. It was often used for the robes of the <a href="/facts/Virgin_Mary/cq3fKofl">Virgin Mary</a> and symbolized holiness and humility. It remained an extremely expensive pigment until a synthetic ultramarine was invented in 1826.
Ultramarine is a permanent pigment when under ideal preservation conditions. Otherwise, it is susceptible to discoloration and fading.

Ultramarine open-in-new

Ultramarine