BLOCKX | Extra-fine Oil Paint — Lapis Lazuli

BLOCKX | Extra-fine oil paint — Lapis lazuli, 20ml tube

The Blockx family has been making oil paints for five generations, since 1865. And they have done so from the start in the village of Nandrin, in the arrondissement of Huy, south-west of Liège. Think of a somewhat bulky old farmstead, among the meadows and forests of the Walloon countryside.

Their oil paints belong to the select group of AAA-quality oil paints. And no, that triple A is no exaggeration. Having never compromised on quality, their paints have been legendary from the start. It’s quite simple: they are satisfied with the best. Just like one of their biggest fans: Salvador Dalí. Another fan of their paint? René Margritte.

The product specifications of Lapis lazuli oil colour from BLOCKX:

• inorganic pigment
• completely lightfast
• per 20 ml tube

Well, all their colours are beautiful, but Lapis lazuli is quite special. Lapis lazuli is an inorganic pigment. It is made from a special azure-blue rock (Lazurite), found only in a limited number of places, for example in Afghanistan. In 2650 BC, it was already mentioned in the Gilgamesh epic. And in the first century AD, Pliny the Elder called it a fragment from the star-sprinkled celestial vault. It was the blue of the Old Masters. It was and is very rare and expensive.

Lapus lazuli is the precursor of our contemporary Ultramarine blue. Only it is much more subtle, less in-your-face. It is simultaneously crisp and subtle. All the nuances of this blue really come into their own, especially when combined with other earthy colours, such as Terre verte. It is simply made for landscapes or add it to the shadows in a portrait…

Although on the expensive side, this paint is great value for money as a little goes a very long way!

Price per tube.