Purple Lac Lake Pigment

Purple Lac Lake Pigment

Delve into rich, sumptuous, velvety purples with this exceptionally deep lac lake pigment. Produced in limited batches, it is crafted to a recipe dating back to the medieval period, carefully followed to ensure both permanence and stability.

The primary dyes responsible for this pigment belong to the anthraquinone group of colourants. These include several laccaic acids, with Laccaic Acid A and B being the most prominent. Present as water-soluble dyes, they give the pigment its distinctive depth and vibrancy.

About Lac Dye

Lac dye is a natural organic colourant derived from sticklac, the resinous encrustation formed on tree branches by insects. This sticklac is the secretion of insects belonging to the Kerriidae family, most commonly from the genera Kerriaand Paratachardina. These insects are indigenous to regions of India, Thailand, and Cambodia, where lac has been harvested and processed for centuries.

About the Dye Extract

The sample of lac extract used for this pigment was provided by my pigment mentor, Keith Edwards. It is sourced from D. Manoharlal (Shellac) Pvt. Ltd., based in Calcutta, a highly respected manufacturer with over half a century of experience producing and supplying high-quality shellac both within India and internationally.

History of Lac Dye Use

Lac has been used as a dye since the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE) in India. By the 11th century, lac lake pigments were employed in manuscript illumination, with evidence also pointing to their use in a 12th-century Orthodox icon from Cyprus.

It was not until the 14th century, however, that lac lake pigments became widely adopted in European easel painting, where they remained popular through to the 17th century.

Historical Reproductions

Lac lake pigments can range from red through purple to pink, depending on the extraction and preparation methods used. With documented use from the medieval period and widespread adoption during the late medieval and Italian Renaissance (14th–15th centuries),this pigment is well suited to faithful recreations of artworks from these periods.

This pigment is produced by precipitating the fermented dye onto a potash alum base using an alkali (sodium carbonate), following historically grounded methods.

Product Details

5 ml glass vial sealed with carbon black wax. 

Dimensions: 7.5 cm × 0.9 cm

Further Reading

Historical formulations of lake pigments and dyes derived from lac: A study of compositional variability
Sanne V. J. Berbers, Diego Tamburini, Maarten R. van Bommel, Joanne Dyer
Dyes and Pigments, Volume 170, November 2019, 107579