Centuries before the Pantone Color Guide all of us are familiar with (established in 1963) an obscure Dutch artist known simply as A. Boogert meticulously created an 800 page book detailing every imaginable color.

This is an astonishing feat considering it was done over 300 years ago (271 years before Pantone). A. Boogert painstakingly described each color and how to achieve them with hand drawn illustrations and handwritten instructions. He mixed the colors and included detailed formulations to achieve the desired hues and tones. Using watercolor he hand painted each color swatch.

The book is being translated and from the introductory text it’s clear it was intended to be used for educational purposes. The book itself is a beautiful work of Medieval Art and only one copy was ever made. If you’d like to view this wonderful piece of art history in detail please click here. Source