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When we look at a centuries-old painting, we aren't necessarily seeing its original colors.
Many historical pigments can fade, darken, or chemically change over time.
Some pigments made from plant or animal extracts can bleach when exposed to light, while verdigris—once important for producing greens—can eventually darken toward brown.
Even some relatively modern pigments aren't completely stable.
The National Gallery of Art notes that yellow pigments used by Impressionist artists can discolor, including examples in works by Claude Monet.
Modern scientific instruments can detect tiny remnants of pigments and help researchers estimate how an artwork originally appeared.
So a masterpiece hanging in a museum today may look noticeably different from the painting its artist first completed.
© National Gallery of Art (2025)