An Adjustable Device or Table for Matching or Combining Colours..
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Adjustable Device or Table for Matching or Combining Colours..
I, EDUARD KREUTZER, of 37 Albrechtstrasse, Wiesbaden, in the German
Empire, Drawing Master, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:-
This invention relates to a movable or adjustable table consisting of two con-
centric discs divided into sections of different colours, and capable of being moved
to any desired position in relation to each other, the object being to enable
harmonious sets or combinations of colours to be formed, and colours that match
or agree with each other to be found or determined.
For this purpose the two discs, such as shewn by way of example in the
annexed drawings, are divided into twelve equal parts or sections, each of different
colour, and each disc having sections coloured as follows:-
3 primary colours; yellow, red, blue;
3 secondary colours; orange, violet, green; and 6 colours made up of combined
primary and secondary colours; orange-yellow, orange-red, violet-red, violet-blue,
bluish-green and yellowish-green.
The order of succession of the colours on both discs is the same, viz. :-
(1) yellow, (2) orange, (3) cinnabar red, (4) crimson, (5) purple, (6) purple
violet, (7) (8) ultramarine blue, (9) Turkish blue, (10) bluish green, (11) cinnabar
green, and (12) yellowish green.
The colours of the larger of the two discs gradually become lighter in shade
towards the circumference, and those of the smaller disc gradually become of a
deeper shade as they approach the centre.
A grey annular border surrounds the twelve colours of the larger disc, the
outermost portion of which is occupied by the three tertiary colours, viz.: yellowish
brown, bluish brown, and reddish brown.
These diversely coloured sections of the discs may be arranged in any imagin-
able relation to, or juxtaposition with, each other, so that, whenever any two
colours are placed side by side, the degree of contrast or harmony existing
between them immediately becomes manifest, and their fitness, or otherwise, to
appear in juxtaposition or conjunction with each other may be tested, while
groups of two, three or four well-matched colours, such as are apt to be required
in practice, may be readily formed. Thus contrasts and effects most pleasing to
the eye may be produced by the diagrammatic arrangement of two, three, or
more colours, either in succession, or in any desired relation to each other. I will
endeavour to illustrate this by a few examples which will explain the operation of
the improved colour-table.
I will assume, to begin with, that the two discs are so adjusted that each colour
of the one coincides with or meets the identical colour of the other, and that the
arrows marked upon them, respectively, point towards each other. In this case it
will be seen that the effect of the juxtaposition of, say, orange and yellow, is not
a pleasing one, owing chiefly to the affinity these two colours have for each other.
Again, the juxtaposition of two colours of the same shade or tone is generally
inharmonious and not to be recommended as they will mostly interfere with each
other. Nevertheless, a pleasing effect may be produced by placing two kindred
colours side by side, one of which is a shade deeper than the other. For this
reason each of the colours on the colour disc presents an entire scale of shades or
tones to facilitate the choice of such two similar colours as will match when they

page_text: meet, owing to their different shades. To find two colours calculated to jointly
exercise a pleasing effect on the observer's eye, it is only necessary (for example)
so to adjust the two discs that section No. 1 (yellow) of the inner disc meets
section No. 7 (bluish-violet) of the outer disc, when all the other pairs of colours
brought into juxtaposition on the table will be found to match and mutually to
enhance their value; thus, for example, orange will come next to ultramarine blue,
crimson next to bluish green, etc. Combinations of such colours as these will, at
all times, have an excellent effect, no matter what may be their shade or degree of
opaqueness.
More harmonious effects may be produced by coupling any of the three tertiary
colours with the 8 colours facing them on the larger disc, and in each case the six
central colours will form the most pleasing contrasts. As to the four colours of
the outer disc which are encompassed by the tertiary colours, they are too closely
akin to these tertiary colours to produce an agreeable effect.
If it be desired to form a harmonious group of three colours, i.e. to couple two
suitable colours with a third one taken as a ground colour, whose effect is to be
enhanced by such addition, and supposing the ground colour to be No. 1 of the
inner disc, the colours to be coupled with it will be Nos. 5 and 9 of the outer disc.
If No. 1 (yellow) of the inner disc join No. 5 (purple) on the outer disc, the
following harmonious triple groups will form (for example): yellow, purple and
Turkish blue; orange, purple-violet and bluish-green; crimson, ultramarine blue
and yellowish green, etc. These examples are deemed sufficient to illustrate the
manner in which the colour-table may be utilized both for artistic and manufacturing
purposes.
The table may be made of sheet metal or any other material sufficiently strong
and rigid to receive the coats or layers of colours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
A colour table consisting of two concentric colour-carrying discs adjustable in
relation to each other, and the inner of which carries the primary, secondary and
mixed colours arranged on it in 12 equal sections or divisions, while the outer disc
carries other shades of the same twelve colours and, in addition to these, three
tertiary colours, thereby enabling colours to be matched at will and harmonious
effects to be produced, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.