The possibility that natural earths from Lessini Mountains were used in archaeological and artistic contexts is an intriguing question; nevertheless, a first attempt in provenance studies was made only recently. This contribution discusses critically the bibliographic records following a chronological perspective in the light of the most recent scientific research in order to propose the state of the art on the evolution of the knowledge of yellow and red earths in the Western sector of the Lessini Mountains. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 221-225, 2016