Cobalt blue
Cobalt blue in impure forms had long been used in Chinese porcelain, but it was independently discovered as a pure alumina-based pigment by Louis Jacques Thénard in 1802. Commercial production began in France in 1807. The first recorded use of "cobalt blue" as a color name in English was in 1777. The leading world manufacturer of cobalt blue in the 19th century was Benjamin Wegner's Norwegian company Blaafarveværket ("blue colour works" in Dano-Norwegian). Germany was also famous for production, especially the blue colour works ("Blaufarbenwerke") in the Ore Mountains of Saxony.
Molybdenum blue
The first heteropoly molybdate and first heteropolymetallate, yellow ammonium phosphomolybdate, (NH)PMoO was discovered by Berzelius in 1826. The phosphorus atom in the anion is termed the heteroatom, other heteroatoms are silicon and arsenic. The heteropoly-molybdenum blues have structures based on the Keggin structure. The blue colour arises because the near-colourless anion, such as the phosphomolybdate anion, , can accept more electrons (i.e. be reduced) to form an intensely coloured mixed-valence complex. This can occur in one electron or two electron steps. The reduction process is reversible and the structure of the anion is essentially unchanged.