The Scarlet is a color intermediate between vermilion and carmine. At a more specific level, it is a vivid red (that is, quite saturated) coloration corresponding to the color produced by the ancient ‘Dutch scarlet’ textile dye. The crimson color has also been called “scarlet.” Furthermore, “scarlet” is applied to a certain luxurious fabric of that color, and to the color thereof.2 Specifically, “scarlet” is said to be those fabrics that have been dyed crimson, that is, with a dye of red. intense derived from kermes or cochineal, and generally etched with alum.
Summary
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- 1 Etymology
- 2 Definition
- 3 In China and Japan
- 4 History as Color
- 5 Sources
Etymology
- From Arabic. Hispanic iškarláṭ [a],
- From the Latin textum sigillātum: stamped or marked cloth ‘.
- From Byzantine Greek σιγιλλᾶτος
- Sigillâtos ‘woolen or linen fabric adorned with ring or circle markings’
Definition
La Rae defines Scarlet as:
- Said of a color: intense red,
- Scarlet colored cloth.
According to the art historian John Gage, the term ‘scarlet’ appeared in the 11th century in the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it meant ‘fine woolen cloth of great value’. In the first texts that allude to this cloth, “scarlets” of various colors are mentioned, such as black, white (undyed), blue and green; however, the most expensive dye of the Middle Ages was the intense red of the quermes, which would have led to the cloth called “scarlet” being dyed mainly that color. According to the author, by the 13th century the most common “scarlet” cloth appears to have been deep red, and during the following century the word “scarlet” could already mean deep red by itself.4
In the Spanish language, the term “scarlet” began to be used between 1220 and 1250.2
In China and Japan
In Mandarin Chinese, “scarlet” is translated as 猩红 色 (pinyín: xīng hóngsè), a word that is decomposed into xīng, ‘ape’ and hóngsè, ‘red’.14 In ancient China it was believed that the fine scarlet tint that observed in textile products from the West was the blood of an animal called hsing-hsing. This was a fabulous monkey-like animal, friendly in character, capable of understanding human speech — or even speaking — and fond of alcoholic beverages.
For this reason, the dye was called in China “gibbon blood.” By the Tang era (618-907), the term “gibbon blood” had already become general as a descriptor of the color of the dye, rather than the dye itself.
In the folklore of Japan, the equivalent of hsing-hsing is the shôjô (literally, ‘orangutan’), a being neither animal nor human, covered in abundant red hair, that lives on the beaches of the seas and the mouths of the rivers. Like hsing-hsing, it is harmless, able to talk, and fond of alcohol. It was said that the fishermen sometimes tried to hunt the shôjô intoxicating it with some drink, since its blood and its fur, mixed, made a beautiful red dye much appreciated by the barbarians of the West.
History as Color
The color of the historic scarlet tint has not always been one and the same tone and hue, but has had variations. Even at a certain time a variety of scarlets could be found on the market, as Hellot attests, who describes the Venice scarlet of his time as having the “color of ox blood”, rather dark and brownish compared to the scarlet of Holland, which It was fiery red, turning orange in comparison, and so saturated that it was difficult to keep an eye on it.
It also speaks of a cherry-colored scarlet, and of various colors that could be obtained from mixtures of cochineal scarlet with other dyes
