In 1692 a Dutch artist named A. Boogert created an “educational masterpiece” on the art of watercolor. All of the book’s nearly 800 pages were either written or painted by hand. Not only that, the massive number of colors and shades the book illustrates is comparable to a [modern pantone color guide](http://www.pantone.com/pages/products/product.aspx?pid=67&ca=4&s=1) you might find at paint store. It was likely the most comprehensive guide on watercoloring 322 years ago. The book was translated by a Medieval book historian named [Erik Kwakkel](http://erikkwakkel.tumblr.com/post/84254152801/a-colourful-book-i-encountered-this-dutch-book). He discovered that the author intended it to be an educational book, but there was only one copy so it wasn’t seen by many people. The book contains a comprehensive color index entirely drawn by hand. Here you can see which color you want to learn about and which page to jump to.
