Lapis Lazuli: The Precious Blue Pigment with 9,000 Years of History
Lapis lazuli, once more precious than gold, has been used for over 9,000 years. The earliest artifacts date to 7570 BCE at Bhirrana, the oldest Indus Valley site. Mined primarily in Afghanistan's Sar-i Sang mines since the 7th millennium BCE, it was exported along ancient trade routes to the Mediterranean and South Asia. Used in Sumerian seals, Egyptian jewelry, and Tutankhamun's funeral mask, lapis lazuli was also found in Chinese paintings from the 10th century and Japanese woodblock prints. In Europe, its use as ultramarine pigment began in the 12th century, promoted by Abbot Suger. Artists like Giotto, Botticelli, Titian, Raphael, Leonardo, Rubens, and Vermeer employed it extensively. Vermeer's lavish use allegedly led to financial ruin. In 1824, a prize was offered for synthetic ultramarine, awarded to Jean-Baptiste Guimet in 1828. Yves Klein patented International Klein Blue in 1960, a synthetic equivalent. Today, natural lapis lazuli is mainly used in restoration, as seen in Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'.
Key facts
- Lapis lazuli has a history of over 9,000 years, with earliest artifacts at Bhirrana (7570 BCE).
- Main source is Afghanistan's Sar-i Sang mines, mined since the 7th millennium BCE.
- Used in Sumerian seals, Egyptian jewelry, and Tutankhamun's funeral mask.
- First documented as pigment in 6th-7th century CE cave paintings in Afghanistan.
- European use began in 12th century; Abbot Suger promoted blue as divine.
- Vermeer used ultramarine extensively, possibly leading to financial ruin.
- Synthetic ultramarine invented by Jean-Baptiste Guimet in 1828.
- Yves Klein patented International Klein Blue (IKB) in 1960.
Entities
Artists
- Giotto di Bondone
- Sandro Botticelli
- Titian
- Raphael
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Johannes Vermeer
- Jan van Eyck
- Albrecht Dürer
- Hugo van der Goes
- Hans Holbein
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- William Morris
- Edward Burne-Jones
- Yves Klein
- Jean-Baptiste Guimet
- Cennino Cennini
- Marco Polo
- Cleopatra
- Abbot Suger
- Francesco I de' Medici
- Gasparo Miseroni
- Girolamo Miseroni
- Cristofano Gaffuri
- Jacopo Ligozzi
- Jørgen Wadum
- Helen Howard
Institutions
- National Gallery (London)
- National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)
- National Galleries of Scotland
- Uffizi Gallery
- Gemäldegalerie (Berlin)
- Mauritshuis
- Ashmolean Museum
- British Museum
- Egyptian Museum (Cairo)
- Wellcome Collection
- Golestan Palace
- Heidelberg University Library
- Rubenshuis
- Scrovegni Chapel
- Sistine Chapel
- Société d'encouragement pour l'industrie nationale
- American Society of Overseas Research
- National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo
Locations
- Afghanistan
- Sar-i Sang mines
- Shortugai
- Badakhshan province
- Chile
- Andes
- Russia
- Lake Baikal
- Siberia
- Bhirrana
- Indus Valley
- Mesopotamia
- Egypt
- Naqada
- China
- Japan
- India
- Pakistan
- Mughal Empire
- France
- Italy
- Venice
- Padua
- Florence
- Milan
- Perugia
- Antwerp
- Berlin
- Oxford
- London
- Edinburgh
- Washington, D.C.
- Cairo
- Tehran
- Heidelberg
- Vatican City
- Dalheim (Germany)