October 11, 2016–January 1, 2017, Getty Center

Appreciated today for its aesthetic qualities, color during the Middle Ages was also understood for its material, scientific, and medicinal properties. The manufacture of colored pigments and inks was part of the science of alchemy, the forerunner of modern chemistry. Concerned with the transformation of matter, alchemy was closely tied to artistic practice.

Current research into the materials used to produce the sumptuous colors that enliven manuscript pages reveals a remarkably diverse “alchemical rainbow” of hues derived from plants, minerals, and metals.

Source : Getty Museum