Archive for January, 2023

A look at (one of) the dyes used in the Bayeaux tapestry.

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023

I have previously looked at the pigments used to colour the Book of Kells, which dates from around 800 AD and which contained arsenic sulfide as the yellow colourant. The Bayeaux tapestry is a later embroidery dating probably from around 1077 and here the colours are based entirely on mordanted natural dyes. These are generally acknowledged to be blue woad (principle component indigo), red madder (principle component alizarin) and the less well-known yellow weld, which comes from the plant Reseda Luteola and the principle component of which is luteolin.[1]

(more…)

References

  1. C. Chavanne, A. Verney, C. Paquier-Berthelot, M. Bostal, P. Buléon, and P. Walter, "Bayeux Tapestry: First use of early synthetic dyes for the restoration of a masterpiece", Dyes and Pigments, vol. 208, pp. 110798, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2022.110798