Cobalt blue is the cool blue of the pigments made using cobalt salts of alumina. The pigments are extremely stable, and have historically been used as coloring agents in ceramics, jewellery and paint. Cobalt was used by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Minoans and Persians, and cobalt glass objects were discovered in Pompeii after the eruption of Vesuvius. Cobalt was officially discovered as a pure pigment by Louis Jacques Thénard in 1802. Production began in France in 1807, and the first recorded use of cobalt blue as a color name in English was in 1777. The leading world manufacturer of the pigment in the 19th century was Benjamin Wegner’s Norwegian company Blaafarveværket. Cobalt blue was widely used throughout the Victoroan era, as well as in depression-era glassware- both of which are highly collectible today.
Here are some nice examples of the use of cobalt blue in design:
(Images via pinterest)