How to Make Ultramarine Blue

In this episode of Becoming Artsy, Jessie tries to make a paint color more precious than gold

Person in a labcoat and safety glasses about to hit a blue rock with a hammer inside of a science laboratory.

By Caitlin Shamberg

Oct 04, 2022

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It’s not easy to make the most expensive color ever.

But Jessie and Getty Conservation Institute scientist Monica Ganio are going to try. Watch as they attempt to recreate a 14th-century recipe for ultramarine.

First, they have to smash a rock into tiny pieces, then extract the deep blue. Along the way, they incorporate beeswax, resin, and some old-fashioned warnings about who should do this work, and who shouldn’t.

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