Aristotle › De coloribus
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Aristotle

De coloribus

prose

A short treatise from the Aristotelian corpus investigating the nature and causes of colour. It examines how colours arise from mixtures of light and dark, and why different surfaces appear different colours under different conditions.

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Books

  • 1
    Book 1

    An examination of the simplest colours — white and black — and the theory that all other colours arise from their mixture in varying proportions.

    12 lines
  • 2
    Book 2

    How light and transparency affect the appearance of colours in natural bodies, including the role of moisture and dryness in producing different hues.

    12 lines
  • 3
    Book 3

    The colours of hair, feathers, and skin in animals, and the factors that cause them to change with age, season, or condition.

    17 lines
  • 4
    Book 4

    The colours of flowers, fruits, and other plant parts, and how cultivation and climate affect their appearance.

    6 lines
  • 5
    Book 5

    The colours of the sea, rivers, and other natural bodies of water, and why they appear different under different conditions.

    36 lines
  • 6
    Book 6

    The effects of dyeing, painting, and artificial colouring processes, and how manufactured colours relate to natural ones.

    27 lines
An open-access project