[Sca-cooks] OT Authenticity Police: dye colours.

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> I know full well that there were bright colors in period.  But, there's
> a difference between brights and neons.  The fact that it might be
> physically possible to get "hot pink" like the stuff that 12 year old
> girls wear doesn't mean they did it in period.  Do you know of an
> example of a neon color in illustration or dye recipe?  I don't know of
> any.

I believe that some people who study Middle Eastern costume have in fact
found hot pink, hot lime green, and that really jarring yellow, among
textile samples, etc. It was certainly mentioned at a Textile Collegium I
attended.

I'm not a textile person so I would advise you to consult textile people.

> And, is there any evidence that cocheneal ever made it to Europe in the
> mere century that there was contact?  It's a Mexican bug, so I think
> it's unlikely that it was common, if available at all.  Isn't kermise
> Egyption?  With what frequency were dyestuff other than madder, woad,
> weld and saffron used?

I believe there is a good book on _The Red Dyes_ and some other dyeing
material. Kermes was the purple of the Middle Ages, it also dyes other
colors. I am informed by those interested in Armenia that it was very
common there.

I am told by Anne Liese Wolkenhaar and others that there is an SCA-Dyes or
SCA-Dyeing list that has a lot of good information.

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net OR jenne at tulgey.browser.net OR jahb at lehigh.edu
"Are you finished? If you're finished, you'll have to put down the spoon."