Nature’s Palette
A Color Reference System from the Natural World
by Patrick Baty, Elaine Charwat, Peter Davidson, André Karliczek, Giulia Simonini · first published 2021
100% recommend
First published in 1814, Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours is a taxonomically organized guide to color in the natural world. Compiled by German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner, the book was expanded and enhanced in 1821 by Patrick Syme, who added color swatches and further color descriptions, bringing the total number of classified hues to 110. The resulting resource has been invaluable not only to artists and designers but also to zoologists, botanists, mineralogists, anatomists, and explorers, including Charles Darwin on the famous voyage of the Beagle.
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I love stuff like this. The article mentions Werner’s Nomenclature of Colour which is a marvel. There is a wonderful Thames and Hudson book, Nature’s Palette, which includes Werner’s Nomenclature and expands on it by discussing how the nomenclature was produced, has illustrations of the reference plants and animals Werner used, etc. https://amzn.eu/d/0injz69N…
on “900-Page Pre-Pantone Guide to Color from 1692 (With Complete High-Res Scan)” ↗> [Patrick Baty, Peter Davidson, Elaine Charwat, Giulia Simonini, André Karliczek -- Nature's Palette (2021) // A colour reference system from the natural world (The first-ever visual expansion of Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours, featuring over 800 illustration references from the natural world)] https://www.thamesandhudson.com/products/natures-palette…
on “900-Page Pre-Pantone Guide to Color from 1692 (With Complete High-Res Scan)” ↗