Many a time I have wondered where the strange and exotic names of watercolour pigments have originated - carmine, gamboge, caput mortuum violet, etc. If you have ever been curious about the paint in your kit, then travel along with journalist Victoria Finlay in her book Color: A Natural History of the Palette as she travels the world, trying to solve the mysteries contained in her paint box. The account of her search for Indian Yellow, was definitely the most intriguing.
For years the ingredients for Indian Yellow pigment were a mystery. Although many guessed at the contents, it was only in 1883 that the director of Kew Gardens, Joseph Hooker, could confirm that it was indeed made from the urine of cows force fed mainly on a diet of mangoes, almost like foie grass is made today. Thank goodness this wonderful rich colour is today produced synthetically, even though the colour's origin continues in it's name!
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