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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’s 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 SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For SaleFestivalsShrichakra 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’s 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 SetCraft and textilesThe Souls I (Grafix Gold, Topaz, Chilli Red) (2010) by Damien Hirst - For Sale
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Colours of buildings and cities

Walls, roofs, tiles, doors and whole painted towns.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5 Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +4 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment · 🇮🇳 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye · 🇫🇷 France +3 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2 #E34234 Vermilion A brilliant orange-red pigment, once made from toxic mercury orePigment · 🇹🇷 Turkey +5 #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +4 #0047AB Cobalt blue A strong, stable blue pigment made from cobalt and alumina since the early 1800sPigment · 🇫🇷 France +3 #FFFDD0 Cream A soft yellow-white named after the top layer of milkNamed shade #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1 #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #801818 Falu redfalu rödfärg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2 Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #FADA5E Naples yellow A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1 #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment · 🇲🇽 Mexico +1 #CC8899 Puce A brownish-purple shade named after the flea and once favoured in French fashionNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +1 #997A8D Mountbatten pink A muted pink-grey once used as naval camouflage in World War IINamed shade Red Sang de boeuf glaze郎窑红 A deep red porcelain glaze first made in early 18th-century ChinaNamed shade · 🇨🇳 China +1 #6050DC Majorelle Blue A vivid deep blue named for artist Jacques Majorelle and his Marrakesh gardenNamed shade · 🇲🇦 Morocco Turquoise and cyan Haint blue A pale blue-green paint used on porch ceilings in the Southern United StatesNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States Brown Drab A dull light brown named after undyed homespun wool clothNamed shade White Lead white A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment · 🇨🇳 China +2 Black Ebony A jet-black hardwood valued for its smooth finish and rarityColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #86A1A9 Tourmalineටෝරමල්ලි A mineral group prized for its rainbow of gemstone coloursColour named from nature · 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka +5 Black Onyx A banded stone, usually black and white, prized for carving and jewelleryColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 Brown Goethite A yellowish to reddish brown mineral used as a pigment since ancient timesPigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +3 Red Lead(II,IV) oxide A strong red-orange pigment once widely used to protect iron and in illuminated manuscriptsPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia White White lead A historic opaque white pigment once made from lead and vinegarPigment #FFC680 Buff A pale brownish yellow named for the colour of natural leatherNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +3 #665D1E Bronze A metallic brown shade named after the bronze alloyNamed shade #CB410B Sinopia A reddish-brown earth pigment once prized for fresco underdrawingsPigment · 🇮🇹 Italy #FF4203 Minium A bright orange-red pigment made by heating lead, once common in medieval manuscriptsPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #CC3333 Persian red A deep reddish orange pigment once made from earths near the Persian GulfNamed shade #A22E37 Pompeian red A deep red seen on ancient Roman walls and ceramics, named for the ruins of PompeiiNamed shade #00A693 Persian green A vivid bluish green seen in Iranian ceramics and religious buildingsNamed shade · 🇮🇷 Iran #003399 Cobalt glass A deep blue glass coloured with cobalt compounds, used in art and decoration for centuriesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +2 Yellow Attic ochre A prized bright yellow ochre once mined near Athens for art and fine decorationPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece Yellow Golden ochre A warm yellow pigment rich in iron, prized since ancient times for its pure colourPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +2 Gold and metallics Mosaic gold A yellow pigment made from tin(IV) sulfide, used for gilding and bronzingPigment Brown Earth tone A palette of colours inspired by soil, stone, and natural landscapesColour named from nature White Rügen chalkRügener Kreide A soft, white chalk from the cliffs of Rügen, GermanyColour named from nature · 🇩🇪 Germany #6C0277 Zinzolin A rare reddish-purple shade with shifting meanings in art and dressNamed shade Blue Blue A colour long prized in art, faith and dress, from ancient Egypt to modern flagsBasic colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #2072AF Bice A historic blue or green pigment once made from copper mineralsPigment
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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.