
In the depths of Italian tradition, we place ourselves between past and future, offering today's artists an equivalent version of colors that were used by masters of art in the past. Prepared with the same approach as the historical craftsmanship of color, we combine these methods of production with the skills and knowledge of modern science.
Ancient pigments are our inspiration, translating the strong link we have with the Earth and the three kingdoms of Nature: minerals, plants and animals, the main sources from which men obtained and transformed materials to paint.
By developing awareness of the origin of the materials, we believe that we can bring the artist back to his role as a medium between Earth and Heaven, Nature and Spirit, World and Humanity. Because of these reasons we select the best pigments from the three kingdoms of Nature, with a preference to minerals, the oldest kingdom, and also the one that guarantees incomparable lightfastness.
We select and purify the best Earth pigments, that human civilizations have used for many millennia, searching for the most advanced and optimum performing mineral pigments of the last decades. For the lovers of tradition, we prepare our own historical colours of a plant and animal origin, of which characteristics are no longer common, and take us back to past centuries when they were. We don’t use organic pigments that come from chemical petroleum industries, as it stretches far away from intimate traditions.


Our watercolors are formulated with single pigments. No dye or organic pigments are added, as we think that it's essential to trust our Tradition and to respect the autenticity of Nature (moreover, additions of this kind would compromise the lightfastness of our colours).
Every single watercolor can therefore fully express the properties of the pigment that constitutes it. This is why you can feel life and character in our colors. We have developed a mixture of natural gums: gum arabic is the main one, in line with the recipes of the old masters. This is our binder. In its simplicity lies the certainty of absence of interaction between the different components. Glycerine, on the other hand, acts as a humectant and plasticizer that guarantees ease of removal and elasticity of the color applied.
Our watercolors are the intimate union of these components created and operated by carefully grinding the pigment. The pleasure in applying and using these colors are a concrete result of our work.
We provide our passion, expertise and knowledge in the world of historical colors to the preparation of traditional paints for professional and artistic use and can also meet specific commission demands.
Carlo Ferrara
Chemical Engineer
Founder of Nila Colori
