Natural pigment

The natural pigments has been present since the early days of mankind, forming part of the daily life such as colorants, possibly for the dresses skins and the body painting. They also appear associated to the symbolic world, as we find ochre powder in burials, and the first art paintings, that are preserved in the walls and ceilings of caves from Europe.

Brown and red pigments came from iron minerals as hematite or ochre, while the black one was charcoal or manganese. Pulverized with stone crunchers and converted into powder, they were mixed with water forming an amalgam which was applied with the hand and fingers.