Rose Madder

Organic -Rose Madder is an incredibly beautiful gift from nature. It is a traditional Lake pigment, extracted from the common madder plant Rubia Tinctorum. As early as 1500 BC, this plant was grown in Asia and Egypt for the purpose of dying. The Egyptians are credited with developing several techniques to produce Lake pigments, the best of which came from plants 18 to 28 months old that had been grown in soil rich with lime and chalk. During the 17th century, red coats made for the British army were dyed with a shade of madder! Before you call me mad for putting such a terribly fugitive colour in the range, let me say in my defence that it’s included for its historic beauty and to help artists get closer to the pallets of earlier times. Unless you display it in direct sunshine, it will last for years with little change. When was the last time you saw a Rembrandt tested in sunlight, which is the criteria for modern pigments? A favoured colour of the Old Masters.