Originally intended to be a guide to mixing watercolors, Dutch artist A. Boogert’s handwritten 1692 work turned into a painter’s manual as he wrote it, with tutorials on creating various hues and tones. The massive volume came in at nearly 800 pages, all handwritten and hand-painted…
It took another 271 years before the definitive Pantone Color Guide was published. Comparisons between the two are obvious, but without the technology to replicate the book he called Traité des couleurs servant à la peinture à l’eau, Boogert’s incredible work languished in obscurity…
(via Colossal)
The book is now housed at the Bibliothèque Méjanes in Aix-en-Provence, France, but you can view it in high resolution in its entirety here.