Study of the use of the colour blue in Byzantine and early post-Byzantine church decoration in the context of the presumed contemporary interior lighting

This paper presents the use of a new method of assessment and comparison of the appearance of colour in an art historical context, using some seventeenth century churches in Bulgaria as a case-study. The method also allows initial identification of the main colour agent of the pigments used. It contains the results of the identification of the colour red. This research provides a possible basis for further investigation into the use of colour in seventeenth century Bulgaria, in a way that overcomes the limitations of colour reproduction in print. In addition, a faithful and unambiguous record of the existing colours will make it possible to create the non-metameric subtractive mixtures that are needed for the restoration of the frescoes.