Handmade in Assisi, the watercolours are created according to a traditional recipe using pure pigments, gum arabic, local honey, rosemary essential oil and a wetting agent. Each batch of paint is made from high quality pigments and poured by hand into godets. This artisanal process results in a highly pigmented and luminous paint, which activates beautifully on contact with water.

The half godets come packaged with a corresponding colour card, which includes details about the shade on the back.

A. Gallo watercolours are 100% handmade. The godets may have small imperfections, such as tiny bubbles or slight marks. This does not affect the quality of the painting and is a reflection of the craftsmanship behind each unique piece.

Developed by artists for artists, our team of skilled craftsmen ensure that each product is steeped in tradition, knowledge and a personal touch, enhancing the authenticity and quality of our paintings, as well as supporting the preservation of traditional crafts and local economies.

A. Gallo watercolours are free of cadmium, cobalt, lead and mercury. With the best natural, historical and innovative pigments available today, our vision is to connect artists with materials that have been used throughout history in an environmentally friendly way.

A. Gallo Colors is inspired by the rich history of pigments used by artists from diverse cultures and a deep passion for traditional manuscript painting techniques. A. Gallo products reflect a shared commitment to excellence, sustainability and the preservation of cultural heritage. Each set is hand-packed with original marbled paper, produced by a Florentine artisan workshop, and presented in an elegant gift box.

The handmade watercolours are available in special themed palettes and also in individual half godets, with over 110 colours. The collection highlights premium pigment families, valued for their intensity, saturation, lightfastness and non-toxic qualities, offering today's artists an uncompromising alternative to paints containing cadmium, cobalt and mercury compounds.

The A. Gallo Colors studio is run by artist Alina Gallo, who has a background in Italian and Persian paint making traditions. In 2017, together with her husband Giuliano Matteucci, she founded A. Gallo Colors in Assisi, following a period of research on Timurid, Safavid and Ottoman manuscripts in collaboration with the Islamic Arts Department of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Topkapi Palace Library in Istanbul and the Islamic Manuscripts Collection of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.