The sources of pigments used in European painting are found in classical
antiquity, and the over 40 pigments in use were described by
Theophrastus, Vitruvius, Pliny the Elder, and Dioscorides. The
principles of painting were also described by Pliny, to be picked up by
Italian Renaissance painters of the 15th century, and they are discussed
by the Editor. The pigments in the four extant treatises are described
in full which, together with the artistic principles, make this little
book a basic primary source for both classical painting and subsequent
European painting. This book will be of interest to art historians,
collectors, students, conservators, and museum-goers.