This is an essential purchase for all painting conservators and conservation scientists dealing with paintings and painted objects. It provides the first definitive manual dedicated to optical microscopy of historical pigments. Illustrated throughout with full colour images reproduced to the highest possible quality, this book is based on years of painstaking research into the visual and optical properties of pigments. Groundbreaking and comprehensive, the Pigment Compendium is a major addition to the study and understanding of historic pigments. * Invaluable reference for both painting conservators and conservation scientists * Covers over 250 ancient and modern artist's pigments worldwide * Full colour throughout for pigment identification.