North America / Modern
The Forbes Pigment Collection
At Harvard, jars of pigments form a reference collection for understanding the materials artists used to make their work.
A color carries a material history. Comparing a painting’s pigments with known samples can help conservators understand how the work was made.
A CLOSER LOOK
Edward Waldo Forbes, a former director of Harvard’s Fogg Museum, assembled pigments as part of an effort to study art through its physical materials. The collection connects the appearance of a painting with the substances inside its layers.
These samples provide reference points for conservation science. Looking at a jar of powder beside the painting it could produce is a reminder that a visual experience begins with physical matter.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
Harvard GazetteA wall of color, a window to the pastLibrary of CongressThe Forbes Pigment Reference CollectionOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.