On May 13, 2022, a research associate of the department of museum-educational activities of Bolgar Museum-Reserve Krivosheyeva S.V. held an event “Medieval colors” together with the specialists of the State Autonomous Institution of Social Service for minor children from the recipients of social services.
At art classes, we often paint in watercolor and gouache, and one day we wondered what people used to paint with when they did not have such wonderful bright colors? We wanted to try to make paints and create a drawing with our own hands.
At this event, children learned that the material for making paints a man originally took from the things around him – these were natural pigments and other coloring substances of natural origin. The most famous pigment, Egyptian blue, was first invented 3,000 years B.C. It was the first synthetic pigment invented by man. It is blue glass made from sand and copper ground into a powder. Vegetable paints were also invented in Egypt.
The Greeks created one of the most important as well as the most expensive dyes, Tyrian purple, a bright red dye obtained from two varieties of sea shellfish. Only a couple of grams of the dye could be obtained from a single shell. Tyrian purple was more valuable than gold, and therefore it was considered the color of kings and emperors.
At the end of the event, kids made their own medieval colors and colored their pictures with them.

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