'... a rich and generous book ... intriguing and interlocking ... a puzzle meticulously unravelled, an absorbing and satisfying detective story ... a powerful tour de force ...'

Belinda Hunt, from the review in Temenos Academy Review, 13, 2010, pp. 184-191.

'... a marvel of interesting, intriguing, challenging and funny anecdotes is waiting to be discovered.'

Jan Wouters, from the review in Nature Chemistry, 1, 593 (2009).

For a PDF of the review in The Picture Restorer by Lara Broecke, click here

For a few online reviews, see Amazon U.S. & Amazon U.K. and comments below...

If you wish to ask questions or offer comments about the book to be posted here, then please contact me

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'Incredibly useful ... Thought provoking ... touches on the fundamantals of ways of thinking through [artist's] practice.' Sigrid, July 8th, 2011.

I hoped that the book might help artists who want to re-connect with their materials.

'I admire [the] scholarship immensely.' Karen, June 27th, 2011.

Many thanks.

'The interweaving of art, science and popular culture [is] fascinating.' Stephanie, June 10th, 2011.

Its funny how its now hard to accept that they were once all one and the same.

'Wonderful!' Amy, May 13th, 2011.

Thanks.

'Should be required reading for conservation students ... ' Simon, April 27th, 2011.

Yes, indeed, that would be nice.

'... managed to shut the entire world out and immerse myself in the world of pigments and magic. Top read. ' Fiona, January 10th, 2011.

I'm glad, thank you.

'... wonderfully poetic. As a Jesuit once said "where a strictly worded definition closes down thought and can be shallow, a story opens the hearer's mind and is endlessly deep." ' Joan, September 20th, 2010.

Great quote, I'm glad you think its applicable. I wanted the book to be more than just an academic text, so thank you.

'An extremely interesting and enjoyable read ... I loved it! ' Antonia, August 3rd, 2010.

Thank you.

'GREAT, enjoyable, intriguing ... the book has a consistent structure and a strong anagogic backbone.' Doug, July 20th, 2010.

Thank you. Everything in the medieval world is interconnected and I didn't want the book to be a dry, impersonal, academic text. The 'backbone' you noticed is the more personal side and might be overlooked. I'm glad you recognised it.

'I learned more in a week than in years of study.' Charles, June 10th, 2010.

More than ten years of research went into the book. The references and bibliography are intended to help make other people's research a bit quicker!

' ... challenging, but utterly charming ... ' Emma, April 28th, 2010.

That's the traditional world, I'm glad the book managed to catch a hint of its character.

'Love the book. Playfully written ... ' Kaja, February 2nd, 2010.

Thank you.

'I really like the simile of the smile. What does the smile on the back of the book mean?' Sally, December 18th, 2010.

Who can tell?

' ... when I tell you that I've waited all my life to read what I just read, I'm really not exagerating ...'Mike, November 12th, 2009.

Thank you. The book uses technical aspects of paint to explore an important part of the Western world that has been overlooked for several centuries.

'Fantastic ... a tour de force ... the medieval model of the world unfolds fluidly, coherently ... the last chapter on gold really hits the heights ! ' Ingrid, October 20th, 2009.

Thank you.

' ... so rich and erudite, yet light in tone and easy to read ... ' Alison, October 9th, 2009.

At one level, the book explores what happens when opposites meet. We are familiar with one possibility - bloody conflict - but the traditional world explored another one - sublime creation. A cook-book of colour-recipes that is at the same time 'rich and light' must therefore impart at least a flavour of the conjunction of opposites, like bittersweet music. Thank you.

'Have you really tried-out artists' recipes?' Sharon Ann, September 24th, 2009.

Yes. I have followed their recipes for some mineral- and vegetable-based colours, but not for any animal-based colours (no insects, snails or basilisks were harmed in the making of this book). I would like to do more, and any help in exploring recipes would be most welcome.

'Magical!' Philip, September 17th, 2009.

Thank you.

'Intriguing ... like a detective novel about ideas.' Shuna, September 5th, 2009

Thank you ... like a whodunit where we know Whodunit?

'Mixing red and white doesn't make yellow or orange (it makes pink).' Leslie, September 2nd, 2009

This takes issue with statements by Albertus Magnus and Plato that are consistent with a traditional theory in which a colour scale runs from black through red to white, going from darkness to light (see p. 131-3). Yellow lies between red and white, and orange between red and yellow. This sequence of colours was observed by metalworkers. When a poker is heated, it goes from cold-black, through red-hot, then orange/yellow to white as more and more light is released in an 'aspirated' (see p. 250) furnace. (And there is a traditional pigment called 'Dutch pink' that is, in fact, yellow.)

'What does festina lente mean?' Moira, August 6th, 2009

The motto was inserted as an afterthought under a drawing of a dolphin and anchor on what would otherwise have been a blank page at the begining of the book. The dolphin and anchor design, which looks like a tattoo, is primarily decorative, but the motto is a reminder that traditional decoration is inherently meaningful (see pp. 215-21). Festina lente means fast-slow, as in dolphin-anchor, and it's included because the book's style is light but some (bite-sized portions) of the content are quite heavy. The book could be read fast or slowly and festina lente / dolphin-anchor suggests that a combination of opposites is most productive (see pp. 94-5, 225, 265). The idea lives on in the adage "less haste, more speed".

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