Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment.View full profile Rachael has a degree in Zoology ...

Caput Mortuum—meaning “dead head”—also known as “mummy brown” was a rich brown pigment with an unpleasant source. From the 16th century onwards, the pigment was made from grinding up the dried flesh ...

There was a group of British painters called pre-Raphaelites who liked using a particular shade of brown in their masterpieces. To get just the right hue, they ground up ancient Egyptian human and cat ...

Painting conservator Sally Woodcock got right to the point when discussing mummy brown pigment during Harvard Art Museums’s “Conversations Around Funerary Portraits.” In short, she said, it’s “paint ...