Winsor and Newton Professional Water Colour offers artists the widest and more balanced choice of pigments with the high permanence. The brilliance, transparency and purity of colour is unparalleled to any other water colour. Since 1832 when Henry Newton and William Winsor introduced the first moist water colours to the world, much of their reputation for high quality has stemmed from the Professional Water Colour range. Since then Professional Water Colour continues to be formulated and manufactured according to their founding principles. Each colour within this wide and balanced spectrum of 96 colours, has been selected and formulated to offer the better choice so that artists can use a palette that best suits their work. Lamp Black is one of the oldest pigments. It is made of pure carbon originally from the residual soot of burnt oil lamps. It is a black with a bluish tint, producing a variety of cool blue greys.