Oxus River Collection – Genuine Lapis Lazuli Oil Paint Set (5 Colours)

Oxus River Collection — Genuine Lapis Lazuli Oil Paint Set (5 Colours)

The Oxus River Collection brings together five De Mairo oil colours — Ultramarine, Fra Angelico, Midnight, Azure, and Charcoal — in one complete palette. Each colour is refined entirely from genuine Lapis Lazuli sourced at the Sar-e-Sang mines of Badakhshan, Afghanistan. No dyes, synthetic pigments, or chemical alterations are used; every shade comes directly from natural variation within the stone itself.

The collection takes its name from the Oxus, the ancient Greek name for the river now known as the Amu Darya. The Oxus rises in the Pamir Mountains and runs for over 2,400 kilometres along Afghanistan's northern border, near the same Badakhshan region where this Lapis Lazuli is mined. Herodotus wrote of it, and Alexander the Great crossed it on his campaign into Central Asia. For thousands of years it shaped trade, culture, and the boundary the Greeks called Transoxiana — "the lands beyond the Oxus." We named this set for that river because its five blues share its character: cool clarity, deep hidden currents, and the warm, luminous light that settles over water at dusk.

What's Included

Five 15 ml tubes of genuine Lapis Lazuli oil paint:

• Ultramarine Blue — the classic, luminous celestial blue that defined Renaissance painting, valued for its purity and exceptional lightfastness.
• Fra Angelico — a soft, elegant blue with gentle mineral depth, inspired by the historic shade associated with the master painter of the same name.
• Midnight Blue — a deep, intense blue achieved entirely through gemstone refinement, with the same soft mineral character found across the set.
• Azure Blue — a bright, radiant tone made from a high-lazurite grade of the stone, reflecting clarity and celestial depth.
• Charcoal Blue — a moody, atmospheric blue with darker mineral inclusions, well suited to underpainting, transitions, and shadow work.

Each colour is drawn from the same stone. The differences come entirely from natural variation in lazurite, calcite, and pyrite content within the Lapis Lazuli — nothing is added, and nothing is invented.

Key Features

• Series 8 premium grade
• 100% genuine Lapis Lazuli pigment, sourced at the Sar-e-Sang mines, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
• Bound in premium walnut oil / refined artist-grade oil
• Excellent lightfastness (ASTM I)
• Handmade in Canada in small batches
• Vegan, non-toxic, free from fillers and synthetic additives
• Certificate of authenticity and batch number included with every set

Suggested Uses

• A complete oil painting palette for classical and contemporary fine art
• Glazing, layering, and atmospheric depth work
• Portraiture, skies, and tonal transitions within one cohesive blue family
• A considered gift for artists building a natural-pigment collection