Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817) was a mineralogist and geologist at the mining school in Freiberg, Saxony. In his 1774 book On the External Characteristics of Fossils, he established a classification system to describe the colors of both fossils and minerals. Patrick Syme (1774-1845), an Edinburgh painter and art teacher, reconstructed Werner's colors by consulting actual minerals, paired the hues with examples from plant and animal life, and created the system of color swatches and descriptions that form the basis of this book.
“Werner’s system has long since been superseded by exact but rather
bloodless alphanumeric versions from companies like Pantone and
Munsell. Nevertheless, what Werner’s Nomenclature lacks in
practicality it more than makes up for as a trove of beauty,
mystery, and unintentional poetry. Where else could you find, for
example, that the precise shade of both the neck ruff of the golden
pheasant and the belly of the warty newt is Orpiment Orange? Or
discover a name—Oil Green—for the waxy green hue of the Nonpareil
apple?”—Architectural Digest
“The 1814 book has now been republished by Smithsonian Books as a
pocket-sized guide, providing a historic connection to vivid colors
found in the field for a future generation of artists, scientists,
and curious naturalists.”—Colossal
“Specimens could degrade, paintings could fade, and color
photography was still a far-off dream, but with Syme’s help Darwin
could encode the colors of an unfamiliar world—and carry them
safely home.” —New Yorker
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
