Maya Blue, developed by the Maya who ruled Mesoamerica from about 290 to 900 C.E., is a remarkable pigment based on a blue dye precipitated onto clay. The blue is perhaps the most striking color used by Maya artists, a color so extraordinary that it generated much research and debate among scientists for more than 50 years. What is particularly interesting about Maya Blue is that, despite long exposure to light and high humidity for centuries, it hardly fades. Its unprecedented stability, defies exposure to alkalies, acids and chemical solvents. Maya Blue is a mixture of both inorganic (paylgorskite clay) and organic (blue dye) elements -- no known organic pigments today can come close to the stability of Maya Blue over so many years.
Rublev Colours Maya Blue Watercolor
Note: Colors swatches are shown in mass tone, at top, mixed with an equal amount of water and brushed out toward the bottom. All pictures of color swatches in this web site are only approximations of the actual color of the watercolor paint. We have taken every care to match the color in these pictures on calibrated color monitors to the actual color. However, because of the wide variance in color monitors the results you get may vary.
| Color Names | |
| Current Names: | English: Maya blue French: bleu de Maya German: Maya Blau Italian: azzurro di Maya Spanish: azul Maya |
| Color Information | |
| Single Pigment: | Maya Blue |
| Binder: | Gum Arabic |
| Pigment Information | |
| Color: | Blue |
| Colour Index: | Pigment Blue 82 |
| Chemical Name: | Indigotin precipitated on clay |
| Properties | |
| ASTM Lightfastness: | Not Rated |
| Opacity: | Transparent |
| Tinting Strength: | High |
| Staining: | High |
| Granulating: | Average |
Note: Some separation of pigment and medium may occur in Rublev Colours Watercolors and is a natural process when no stabilizers are added to paint to prevent this from occurring.