This paper discusses pigments and their development throughout history. From prehistoric times to the present day, man strives to trace his existence, whether it is a simple handprint dipped in a mixture of red oxide or a masterpiece of modern art in oil paints of industrially made synthetic modern age. Over the centuries, the production of pigments has been perfected, new sources, new minerals and combinations of them have been discovered in complex synthetic processes that are equally amazing with their innovation and knowledge today in the era of chemical revolution and industrial production of pigments by the most modern standards. The paper also touches on the basic characteristics and properties of pigments, as well as their structure, dispersion and use in various industries. Special emphasis is on polychromy in art and architecture through time, where it is evident that color has always been present in a work of art, but while in modern art polychromy is preserved and present in the work, in ancient art it is preserved only in fragments or is sometimes barely or not at all visible hence and difficult to imagine for today’s eye.