II.

History

The first uses of paint were entirely decorative. Thus, paint without a binder, consisting of iron oxide, was used for cave paintings about the 15th millennium bc. In Asia, several pigments made from ores, prepared mixtures, and organic compounds were known about 6000 bc. Indigo, a pigment extracted from the indigo plant, was known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Inca. Gum arabic, egg white, gelatin, and beeswax were the first vehicles used for these pigments. Lacquers were used to paint buildings in China about the 2nd century bc; in Europe, protective painting began about the 12th century ad. Linseed oil, although known as a paint vehicle by the Romans, appeared in artistic painting only in the 15th century. White lead, a white pigment, became widely used in the 17th century, and paint consisting of prepared mixtures of pigments and vehicles first became commercially available in the 19th century.