One of the least studied aspects of the history of art is the tools that the artist uses - and in particular the story of the colour itself and how artists have obtained their colours down the centuries. The focus has been on inspiration rather than the practicalities of how (and if) an artist could achieve a particular colour. This text seeks to redress the balance. Ranging from the Ancient Greeks to the present day, it reveals how art is more of a science and science more of an art then might be supposed.