Werner's Nomenclature of Colours
Adapted to Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Minerology, Anatomy and the Arts
$33.85
- Hardcover
- Release Date
15 March 2018
Summary
First published in 1814, Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours is a taxonomic guide to colour which has been cherished by naturalists and anthropologists for over two centuries.
In the late 1790’s Abraham Gottlob Werner devised his own standardised colour scheme, which allowed the writer to describe even the subtlest of chromatic differences with consistent terminology. His scheme was then adapted by an Edinburgh flower painter, Patrick Syme, who traced the actual minerals describ…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780565094454 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0565094459 |
| Author: | Patrick Syme, Abraham G. Werner |
| Publisher: | The Natural History Museum |
| Imprint: | The Natural History Museum |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Release Date: | 15 March 2018 |
| Weight: | 332g |
| Dimensions: | 18mm x 126mm x 232mm |

Critics Review
‘This is a fascinating historic document that grabs the attention much more than you would expect.’ The Artist
Patrick Syme
Patrick Syme (1774-1845) was an Edinburgh flower painter and teacher of art. He was introduced to Werner’s work through Robert Jameson, one of Werner’s favourite pupils. Jameson reconstructed Werner’s colours from his list using actual minerals, and these formed the basis for Syme’s colour samples.
Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817) was an eminent mineralogist and geologist, who was Bergmeister at the mining school in Freiberg, Saxony. In his 1774 book On the External Characteristics of Minerals he put forward a system for the classification of colour in order to describe and classify all characteristics of fossils. Werner’s system was known to natural philosophers – other than geologists – and was considered a valuable aid for the organisation of colour into the nineteenth century.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.



