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Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

September 6, 2025 – November 14, 2026
Making Colors in Europe, 1400–1800

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  • A photo of an art gallery with eight paintings hung on the walls. The walls are dark blue and there is a case in the center of the room showcasing examples of the pigments used in the paintings.

    Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Making Colors in Europe, 1400-1800 on view in the Harrington Gallery. Photo by Rob Strong.

About

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Making Colors in Europe, 1400–1800 examines artistic production in the early modern period through the lens of its distinctive colors; recipes for pigments, dyes, and glazes were often closely guarded secrets and critical to the value of a work of art. The search for new, better, cheaper, or longer-lasting colors engaged makers and their audiences as an inherent part of this era's push for scientific discovery and European economic expansion. 

Exhibition Curator

Elizabeth Rice Mattison

Exhibition subject: Europe