Colour news
Pigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game SetPigments and dyesArcheologists discover hidden tomb untouched for 600 years that's 'like a treasure chest'FestivalsShrichakra Rangoli: How ancient India turned geometry, mathematics and cosmic thought into a sacred art formFestivalsPhotos of the weekColour of the yearEvery 2027 Color of the Year We Know So FarFashion and designThe 8 Colors Fashion Girls are Building Their Fall Wardrobes AroundFestivalsIn India, Holi welcomes spring with a Festival of ColorsColour of the yearTom鈥檚 Watch Bar Partners With Dodgers Fan Club Pantone 294Craft and textilesMore clues to Maya blueCraft and textilesDesigners Say These 6 Unexpected Paint Colors Can Make Any Room Feel Instantly Warmer and More InvitingCraft and textilesMacron and UYBA Volley present the new 2026/27 Game Set
Rang

Named shades

A particular tint or shade with a name of its own, from azure to zaffre.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Yellow Turmeric A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚘馃嚝 Afghanistan +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚫 Spain +5 Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +4 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment 路 馃嚘馃嚭 Australia +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +3 #40E0D0 Turquoise A blue-green colour named after a prized mineral long used for gems and decorationNamed shade 路 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +5 Red Carmine A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +2 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye 路 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey +1 Black Kohl賰購丨賿賱 A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Purple and violet Tyrian purple A reddish-purple dye once worth its weight in silver, made from sea snailsDye 路 馃嚤馃嚙 Lebanon +4 Black Carbon black A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment 路 馃嚛馃嚜 Germany +4 Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye 路 馃嚨馃嚟 Philippines Purple and violet Logwood A tree whose wood yields a dye once vital for textiles and scienceColour named from nature 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +3 #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment 路 馃嚞馃嚪 Greece +1 Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +5 Black Bone char A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment #801818 Falu redfalu r枚df盲rg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment 路 馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden +2 #8A3324 Umber A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment 路 馃嚚馃嚲 Cyprus +2 Red Henna丨賽賳賻賾丕亍 A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 #E97451 Sienna A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France Brown Catechu A brown plant extract used as a dye, tannin, and preservativeColour named from nature 路 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan +2 Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #E49B0F Gamboge A strong yellow pigment tapped from Southeast Asian treesPigment 路 馃嚢馃嚟 Cambodia +5 #40826D Viridian A blue-green pigment made from hydrated chromium oxide, valued in painting since the 1800sPigment #E3A857 Indian Yellow A clear, glowing orange-yellow pigment once made in India from cow urinePigment 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India Red Kermes A deep red dye made from Mediterranean scale insects, once prized for scarlet clothDye 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Red Kumkum A red powder made from turmeric and lime, used for forehead marks in IndiaDye 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment 路 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico +1 Blue Tekhelet转职旨讻值诇侄转 A blue dye from sea snails, central to ancient Jewish ritual and traditionDye 路 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel +2 Red Brazilin A red dye from brazilwood and sappanwood, used in textiles and paints since the Middle AgesDye 路 馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil +4 #006B3C Cadmium pigments A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment Red Lac啶侧ぞ啶曕啶粪ぞ A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India +5 #824B27 Mummy brown A transparent brown pigment once made from ground Egyptian mummiesPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt #FF3800 Coquelicot A vivid reddish-orange named after the wild corn poppy flowerNamed shade #E32636 Rose madder A traditional red pigment made from the roots of the madder plantPigment 路 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt +5 Red Abir A coloured powder used in Hindu rituals and the Holi festivalTraditional colour 路 馃嚠馃嚦 India #FDF8FF Zinc white A cool, low-toxicity white pigment made from zinc oxidePigment Turquoise and cyan Haint blue A pale blue-green paint used on porch ceilings in the Southern United StatesNamed shade 路 馃嚭馃嚫 United States White Lead white A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment 路 馃嚚馃嚦 China +2 #FA5053 Strawberry A bright red colour inspired by the ripe strawberry fruitNamed shade 路 馃嚝馃嚪 France +4
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.