A J Ludlow Cerulean Blue Professional Watercolour

Cerulean Blue is just one of the bright and exquisite Professional Watercolours made in the UK by A J Ludlow. Being based on a single pigment with excellent permanence and light fastness, ensures that this watercolour’s properties are exceptional.

Cerulean Blue Professional Watercolour is prepared using the mixed metal oxide inorganic pigment, cobalt (II) stannate. This pigment has been selected for its pure blue hue, light fastness and chemical resistance, making it ideal for use in A J Ludlow’s Professional watercolour range.

Because of its hue and use by many artists, the colour cerulean blue has become synonymous with blue skies. It is interesting that the word cerulean is derived from the Latin word c ӕ ruleus , meaning “dark blue, blue or blue-green”, which in turn is thought to be a derivative of the word cœlum , meaning heaven or sky.

The cobalt-tin mixed metal oxide pigment itself has been known by many names. Originally it was known as “Hӧpfner blue”, reported as early as 1789 by the Swiss Chemist Albrecht Hӧpfner in the journal, Magazin für die Naturkunde Helvetiens . In the 1880s, the pigment was referred to as “Coelin” by the German manufacturer; as Cerulium by the British importer, Roberson and later as Coeruleum by the British colourman George Rowney; other names included ceruleum and corruleum (sometimes as cœruleum or cӕruleum ) and eventually being known today as cerulean blue.

Cerulean blue is considered one of the traditional pigments for watercolour (Mayer 1991, page 136). With respect to colour “temperature”, the relatively greenish cerulean blue is often regarded as a cool blue (where cobalt blue is for example, regarded as neutral and ultramarine blue is warm).

Mayer, R “The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques”, 5th Ed, Viking, New York, 1991.

Pigment Details: Cobalt (II) Stannate / Colour Index Pigment Blue 35 ( C.I. PB35)