zecchi

one major area of my work is my investigations into natural pigments and my paintings on gesso and so this trip to florence was something i'd been looking forward to for a long time.  i'd heard a lot about zecchi so was very excited to be finally making a visit.

zecchi is on via dello studio right next to the duomo and is a specialist paint shop that has been in this street for centuries. the range of pigments they stock is amazing. with reference to cennino cennini's fourteenth century treatise 'il libro dell'arte' they have now found, revived or reproduced all the colours used by pre-renaissance and renaissance painters.

pigments as documented by cennino cennini

tools of the trade

unfortunately i got off on the wrong foot as i attempted to photograph the rows of pigments displayed in jars. the owner snapped at me in italian, i guess thinking that i was just another camera-clicking tourist. i queued up to buy the pigments and he ignored me. when i finally got his attention his curt answers made actually purchasing the pigments a bit of an ordeal. still, i was so happy to have 10 new colours that i didn't mind. when i'd paid for them i asked if it would be ok to take a couple of pictures. he shrugged and said "well, it is no secret'. so i took that to be a yes.

rows of natural and synthetic pigments in zecchi

natural earth range

i bought terra verde calda, terra vere fredda, terra verde antiqua, verdaccio, terra nera romana, ocra calda d'italia, rosso ercolano, morellone, bolo and cinabrese.

pigments, vintage fabric and an amazing array of wonderful food