A numbering method for colours was in use, at least informally, in fine art as early as the time of Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) of Nuremberg. But it was Ferdinand Bauer (1760–1826) who perfected this technique. Bauer was exceptional among botanical artists for his ‘painting by numbers’ method and his incredible ability to recall and record colour.

Bauer initially used the Feldsberg colour chart, with at least 273 colours. By the time he got to Australia in 1801 to draw the flora and fauna on the eastern side of the continent, he had polished the colour-coding system. It could be used in the field so effectively that the drawings he ‘finished’ more than 10 years later are still the best-ever drawn of Australian plants. This colour code extended to a palette range of up to 1000 colours.

Image credit:

‘Feldsberg’ chart from Haenke’s colour chart, facsimile published in Madrid. DJ Mabberley & MP de San Pío Aladrén, La Carta de Colores de Haenke de la Expedición Malaspina: Un Enigma / Haenke’s Malaspina Colour-chart: An Enigma, Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid, 2012, pp. 36 + facsimile