Paul Gout's 157 Colours (Les 157 Couleurs De Paul Gout) - Dominique Cardon & Iris Brémaud

 157 colours from the past, a treasure trove of creative inspiration. This fully bilingual edition (French/English) presents the full range of of Paul Gout's colours. Gout, a clothier and master dyer, was active in Languedoc, in Souther France, during the second part of the 18th century. His colours on fine wool broadcloths were highly prized as far away at the Levant. Each colour name is illustrated by a photo of the corresponding sample, whose chromatic characteristics are specified in the CIELAB colour space. The process by which each colour was obtained, using both local and exotic dye plants, is described step by step. This workbook provides new tools and perspectives to explore natural dyes.

Ce Cahier présente la totalité des couleurs matérialisées par 157 échantillons de drap de laine teints dans un manuscrit intitulé « Mémoires de teinture », achevé probablement en 1763 par Paul Gout, directeur et maître-teinturier de la Manufacture royale de fins draps de laine de Bize, en Languedoc. Cette importante manufacture exporte, principalement vers les Échelles du Levant, jusqu’à 2 750 pièces de draps en 1764, ce qui correspond à plus de 52 km de tissu, teint en couleurs de grand teint, solides à la lumière et au lavage.

Please note that each page is in French and English.

Hardcover Edition

ISBN:979-10-699-9896-4

Maiwa's review:

Imagine if a master dyer, working in France three-hundred years ago, at the height of his powers wrote down his recipes to document what he knew. Clear, precise instructions with measurements and the results on cloth. Strong natural colours developed long before the invention of synthetic dyes.

Now image that this manuscript was studied by natural dye historian and researcher Dominique Cardon and her colleague Iris Brémaud. The recipes were organized, translated and annotated with sources and descriptions of the dyestuffs and the processes.  Imagine they were presented to spark your imagination and creativity. 

You would have "Paul Gout's 157 Colours" 

The book also contains some of the personal history of Paul Gout and his relationship to the works of the day and his position as manager of a Royal Manufacture of fine wool broadcloth.  As a production dyer, Paul Gout navigates the world of colour fastness, cost concerns, competition, regulation and entrepreneurship. It makes for colourful and fascinating reading.