Journey of natural pigments from ancient antiquity to present: Insights on sustainable development

This review discusses the use of natural colours in artwork, textile, culture etc. throughout the historical time and their prospective future. The colourful artworks play an important role, as pigment makes paintings vibrant and portrays symbolic meaning of human cultures throughout the world. In primordial times, only natural pigments isolated from different sources (like plants, animals) and minerals were used. From late nineteenth century, the extensive use of synthetic colorants started, which were proved to be hazardous for the environment. In recent times, natural colorants from pigmented bacteria becomes a promising source of eco-friendly colours in terms of sustainable development.