In the 17th century the color blue was rare in textiles and artwork: azurite turned green when mixed with water, indigo was not colorfast and ultramarine could only be made from crushed lapis lazuli that cost more than gold. Then, one day, by accident, a German color-maker named Diesbach bought some potash contaminated with animal blood and oil from his lab-mate, an experimental alchemist. Mixing the potash with iron sulphate he had planned to make a deep red but instead he created the first synthetic blue pigment, the so-called Prussian blue. Fittingly for a color made from blood and iron, one of its first uses was dying the uniforms of the Prussian Army.
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Having bought this print from an antiquarian bookseller in Krakow’s Old Town, we spotted a very similar number framed on the gallery wall of Kazimierz’s Mleczarnia café.
Having bought this print from an antiquarian bookseller in Krakow’s Old Town, we spotted a very similar number framed on the gallery wall of Kazimierz’s Mleczarnia café.
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Details and Dimensions
Whole piece: 14.5" Height x 10.25" Width.
Picture: 10" Height x 8.5" Width.
Vintage.
