PrefacePart 1 — Cobalt through the agesChapter 1Cobalt: Of goblins and godsAndrew J. ShortlandChapter 2Cobalt through the ages, illustrated through a selection of objects demonstrating its useAndrew J. ShortlandPart 2 — Sources and signaturesChapter 3Norwegian cobalt production and usesLasse Hermansen BjørnlandChapter 4Provenancing smalt: The potential of geological analysisPatrick Degryse and Andrew J. ShortlandChapter 5Variations in the chemical signatures of cobalt colourants used in glass from the 17th to the early 20th centuriesBernard GratuzeChapter 6The cobalt mine at Kashan, Iran: A brief overview of its history, from the pre- Mongol period to the early 20th centuryMoujan MatinChapter 7Cobalt mining at Alderley Edge, Cheshire, UKNigel DibbenPart 3 — ApplicationsChapter 8Cobalt in Late Bronze Age glassmaking: Insights from archaeometric analyses and case studiesVictoria Kemp and Andrew J. ShortlandChapter 9Early Islamic cobalt-blue glass: Colourant and matrixNadine SchibilleChapter 10Smalt and other blues in painting from South Asia and IranKatherine Eremin, Penley Knipe, Georgina Rayner, Jinah Kim, Richard Newman, Erin Mysak and Michelle DerrickChapter 11The use of cobalt on Chinese ceramics from the 7th to 20th centuries CEYun Zhang and A. Mark PollardChapter 12Light and dark blue: A non-destructive analysis of blue enamel and underglaze compositions in Fürstenberg porcelainsDennis Braekmans, Jens Storre, Christian Lechelt, Rosa Seepma and Andrew J. ShortlandThe historical and technological significance of cobalt and its compoundsCobalt: named after goblins, allotted to gods.Cobalt and its compounds have had a long and important part to play in history. Metallic cobalt is a modern innovation, vital in the green energy transition. However, cobalt compounds have been used for 3,500 years to create deep-blue pigments, featuring in many important works of art and religious artefacts, associated with heaven, eternity and the divine. Cobalt ores are rare, and their exploitation is a dangerous pursuit. Their co-occurrence with arsenic has led to severe health consequences for workers, which were blamed on supernatural spirits and goblins, “kobolds”, from which the name cobalt is derived. Of Goblins and Gods discusses the state-of-the-art extraction and use of cobalt ores through history, alongside the technology involved in making and applying cobalt pigments in many man-made materials across all regions and periods, from the Death Mask of Tutankhamun and pre-Islamic tiles to Indian manuscripts and the windows of Canterbury Cathedral.