Color terminology

Anne Lane <alane<-a t->infoave< . >net> writes

>We are in the process of trying to standardize the terminology we
>use in our cataloguing, and our Curator of Art was wondering if
>there is any standard terminology for color shades

We use the Munsell system, although it uses codes instead of names.
This is a series of "paint chips".  The chips can be removed from
the pages for direct comparison to a color in question.  The
"system" is essentially a cylindrical color wheel:
circumferentially-arranged hue, radially-arranged chroma (neutral to
intense), and vertically-arranged value (pale to dark). The
resulting "names" can be rather cryptic, such as "10P 5/12", a
rather nice medium mauve.  The title page of the book is as follows:

    Munsell(R) Book of Color.  Glossy finish collection, removable
    samples in two binders, 1976.  Munsell Color, Macbeth Division
    of Kollmorgen Corporation, Baltimore, MD  21218.

There's no ISBN.  Perhaps someone on the list has a more current
address/phone number for the company.

Robin K Panza
Section of Birds, Carnegie MNH
Pittsburgh  PA  15213

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                 Conservation DistList Instance 10:108
                   Distributed: Monday, June 9, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-108-001
                                  ***