Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1814)

The book is based on the work of the German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner who, in his 1774 book Treatise on the External Characters of ... HomeEssaysCollectionsExploreShopSupportPDRAboutBlogSearchSearchThePublicDomainReviewCollections/BooksWerner’sNomenclatureofColours(1814) PatrickSyme,Werner'snomenclatureofcolours;Edinburgh:WilliamBlackwood,1821. GotoyourlocalDIYstoreandthepaintswillnodoubtcarrystrangenames:TawnyDayLily,MeadowMist,CandiedYam,MarshmallowBunny,tonamebutafew.AsDanielHarrispointsoutinCabinetmagazine,paintnamesdevelopedtheirownpoeticstyleand,likeacertaintraditionoflyricpoetrytheymakereferencetonaturetoexpressmoodoratmosphere.Likewise,Werner’sNomenclatureofColour(firstpublishedin1814)constructsasystemortaxonomyfortheclassificationofcolourwithreferencetothingsinthenaturalworld,(ratherthantoobjectsofeverydayartifice,aswiththeworkofEmilyNoyesVanderpoel).Andthoughthegoalistoprimarilyenableascientificstructureofidentification,ratherthanevokemood,theendproductcan'thelpbutveertothepoetic.ThebookisbasedontheworkoftheGermangeologistAbrahamGottlobWernerwho,inhis1774bookTreatiseontheExternalCharactersofFossils(translatedintoEnglishin1805),developedanomenclatureofcolourssoastoofferastandardwithwhichtodescribethevisualcharacteristicsofminerals.Clearlytakenbytheidea,somethreedecadeslatertheScottishpainterofflowersPatrickSymeamendedandextendedWerner'ssystem.Inadditiontothemineralreferent,foreachofWerner'scoloursSymeaddedanexamplefromtheanimalandvegetablekingdom,aswellasprovidinganactualpatchofcolouronthepagetoaccompanythewords.WhileWernerfoundasuiteof79tintsenoughforhisgeologicalpurpose,nowopeneduptootherrealmsofnature,Symeadded31extracolourstobringthetotalto110.WithSyme'snewreferencecategoriesthere'sbornawholenewworldofrelationshipsbetweendisparateaspectsofnature,encountersdictatedsolelybycolour.Forexample,for"skimmed-milkwhite"wehavethewhiteofthehumaneyeballs(animal),thebackofthepetalsofbluehepatica(vegetable),andcommonopal(mineral);for"lavenderpurple"wehave"thelightpartsofspotsofontheunderwingsofPeacockButterfly"(animal),"driedlavenderflowers"(vegetable),and"porcelainjasper"(mineral).Wonderfullyoddmonochrometableauxareconjured:uponacropofcalamineabedofstrawinwhichsitsapolarbear;orthestyleofanOrangeLilyencrustedwithBraziliantopazandtheeyesofthelargestfleshfly.Syme’sconfidenceinobscurereferencestothenaturalworldcamefromanobsessionwithtaxonomiesatthetime,alinedevelopedfromCarlLinnaeustoCharlesDarwin(whomadeuseofWerner’sNomenclatureontheBeagle).Suchpeopleoftenreliedonanetworkofcollectorsandexplorers,thoseobsessedwithorderingandcategorizing,pinningdownbutterfliesandstuffingbirds.Inanageofmassdigitalreproduction,thepinningdownofcolourisperhapsasdifficultasever.ItmightbeeasiertoturntoPantonethough,ratherthanAbrahamGottlobWerner.TextbySamDolbearPublishedApril2,2019MediumBooksThemeScience&MedicineTheArtsNaturalWorldGenreReferenceTypeNon-fictionEpoch19thCenturyTagscolor7colour11colortheory3colourtheory4bestofbooks47SourceInternetArchive/TheGettyMoreTheGettycontentonPDR(34)MoreInternetArchivecontentonPDR(640)UnderlyingWorkRightsPDWorldwideDigitalCopyRightsNoAdditionalRightsDownloadPDF Scrollthroughthewholepagetodownloadallimagesbeforeprinting.Scrollthroughthewholepagetodownloadallimagesbeforeprinting.Scrollthroughthewholepagetodownloadallimagesbeforeprinting.Scrollthroughthewholepagetodownloadallimagesbeforeprinting.IfYouLikedThis…GetOurNewsletterOurlatestcontent,yourinbox,everyfortnightPrivacyPolicyMoreInfoHPBecomeaFriendofthePDRWerelyonourannualdonorstokeeptheprojectalive.Perksincludereceivingtwice-a-yearourveryspecialthemedpostcardpacksandgetting10%offourprints.FindOutMorePrintsforYourWallsExploreourselectionoffineartprints,allcustommadetothehigheststandards,framedorunframed,andshippedtoyourdoor.StartExploringThelatestwondersfromthesitetoyourinbox.Onceeverytwoweeks.HPPrivacyPolicy|MoreInfoYoucanunsubscribeatanytimebyclickingontheprovidedlinkinouremails. Ihavereadandagreetothe TermsandConditions {{number}} {{$localize("payment.title")}} {{$localize('payment.no_payment')}} {{$localize('payment.place_order')}} PaybyCreditCard PaywithPayPal {{$localize('cart.summary')}} {{$localize('actions.edit')}} ClickforDeliveryEstimates ClickforDeliveryEstimates {{$localize('cart.shipping_taxes_calculated_at_checkout')}} Sorry,wecannotshiptoP.O.Boxes. Sorry,wecannotshiptoP.O.Boxes.