DYEING. 



211 



MlMOfT. 



Introduc- 

 tion of in- 



ciign as u 

 rfye. 



pening to observe that urine imparted a very fine co- 

 lour to a certain species of moss, was induced to make 

 experiments upon it, and thus learned the preparation of 

 archil. In the year 1429, a treatise on dyeing made its 

 appearance at Venice, of which an improved edition was 

 afterwards published in 1510. This work, however, was 

 Still very imperfect ; and in order to render it more use- 

 ful and extensive, Giovan Ventura Rosetti, overseer of 

 the arsenal at Venice, resolved to travel through the 

 different parts of Italy, and the neighbouring coun- 

 tries, where dyeing was practised, to obtain an ac- 

 curate acquaintance with the various processes of the 

 art, and reduce them under a systematic form. He 

 accordingly carried his design into effect, and in 1548, 

 published the result of his observations and enquiries un- 

 der the assumed name of Pliclho. This work united the 

 different processes then employed, and, in the opinion of 

 Bischoff, ought to be regarded as an important -step to- 

 wards the perfection which the art of dyeing afterwards 

 attained, though, according to Hellot, it is but little en- 

 titled to attention. It is a curious fact, that it contains 

 no account either of cochineal or indigo. Berthollet ex- 

 plains this circumstance, by supposing that neither of 

 these dyes was employed at that time in Italy. Whnt- 

 ever uncertainty may exist with respect to the time when 

 cochineal was first used as a dye, no doubt can be enter- 

 tained, that long before the period at which Rosetti pub- 

 lished his work, the properties of indigo were well known. 

 Bischoff indeed conjectures, that the indicium of Pliny 

 was not a dyeing drug, but a substance used as a paint, 

 and very different from our indigo ; and that the con- 

 tract which was made in 1194, between the cities of 

 Bologna and Ferrara, respecting certain duties to be 

 levied at the former upon indigo, had a reference to 

 the indicum of Pliny. Dr Bancroft, (Philosophy of 

 Permanent Colours, vol. i. 242,) however, has shewn 

 the iden'ity of these substances, from the exact coinci- 

 dence of the properties of indicum, as described by Pli- 

 ny, with those of the modern indigo ; and he quotes a 

 passage from Caneparius, which proves that indigo was 

 brought by merchants from India and Alexandria, and 

 thence imported to Venice, when that city was the entre- 

 pot of Europe and the East. The statement of Canepa- 

 rius also seems to correct a mistake committed by Ber- 

 thollet, who mentions that the first indigo employed in 

 Europe was imported by the Dutch from the East In- 

 dies. The fact is, tfeit long before the Dutch had any 

 intercourse with that country, indigo had been imported 

 in considerable quantity from Egypt and Syria to Italy, 

 and employed in dyeing.* Bischoff also has established, 

 by the most decisive evidence, that indigo was employed 

 as a dye before the Dutch visited the East Indies. He 

 informs us, that woad-dyers were recognized among the 

 Germans as a distinct trade, so early as 1339, and that 

 they were afterwards incorporated by charter with cer- 

 tain dyers from Italy and Flanders, under the name of 

 Art, Woad, and Fine Dyers ; that this body, soon after 

 its establishment, excited the jealousy of a more ancient 

 corporation, the Block Dyers ; and as indigo was em- 

 ployed by the former, the Black Dyers exerted them- 

 selves so successfully in decrying the use of it, that the 



Elector of Saxony, listening to their selfish suggestions, 

 was prevailed upon to issue severe prohibitions against 

 those who should employ it in dyeing. In the prohibi- 

 tory edicts which were passed against it, it is described 

 as a corrosive colour, and fit food only for the devil. 

 These acts were passed between the years 1521 and 

 1547, which was a considerable time before the first voy- 

 age undertaken by the Dutch to the East Indies. See 

 INDIGO. 



22. Though the knowledge of dyeing had now extend- 

 ed itself over the more civilized parts of Europe, the 

 principles of the art seem to have been still in a great 

 measure confined to Italy and Venice ; a circumstance 

 which contributed, in no small degree, to the prosperity 

 of these states. Accident, however, has frequently led 

 the way to important discoveries, and in some cases 

 contributed more to the improvement of the arts, than 

 the most refined speculation guided by experience. This 

 remark is peculiarly applicable to the discovery of scarlet, 

 one of the most brilliant colours known in dyeing. " The 

 etymology of the term scarlet is involved in some obscu- 

 rity. Pezronius thought it of Celtic origin, and that it 

 signified Galaticns rnbor. (See Antiq. Celt. p. 69.) But 

 according to Beckmann, Stdcr asserts that scarlach is a 

 German word, compounded of schor, fire, and lacken, 

 cloth ; while Rerske, on the contrary, derives the word 

 in question from the Arabic scharal, meaning the kermes 

 dye." See Bancroft, 



23. Whatever be the origin of the term, the colour to 

 which it was applied seems to have been known at a very 

 early period. Beckmann quotes a passage from the 

 Hisloria Gelrica Ponlani, in which it is affirmed, that 

 Henry III. of France conferred upon the Count of Cleves 

 thcBurgraviateof Nimegucn.on condition of his delivering 

 to him annually three pieces of scarlet cloth, manufactu- 

 red from English wool, (Ires pannos scarlatinas Anglica- 

 nos.) The same author also refers to a work published 

 in 1211, entitled, " Gervasii TUbericnsis olia Imperialia 

 at Ollonem IV. Imjtcratorem," from which he quotes the 

 following observation applied to the kermes : " Vermi- 

 culus hie est, quo tinguntur pretiosissimi regum panni, 

 sive serici, ut examiti, sive lanei, ut tcharlala." The 

 colour, however, to which the term that gave rise to our 

 word scarlet, was then applied, was very different from 

 the colour which now bears that name; the former ha- 

 ving been obtained from the kermes, whereas the latter 

 is procured from cochineal, and exalted in brilliancy by 

 the application of a particular mordant. The insect to 

 which we give the name of cochineal was unknown in 

 Europe before the discovery of America. When the 

 Spaniards first visited Mexico about the year 1518, they 

 observed that the native inhabitants of the country em- 

 ployed cochineal for communicating a colour to some 

 parts of their domestic utensils, ornaments, &c. and also 

 as a dye for cotton. They were so struck with its beau- 

 ty, that an account of it was transmitted to the Spanish 

 ministry; who accordingly, in the year 1523, ordered 

 Cortes to adopt proper measures for increasing the pro- 

 duce of a commodity which appeared to be of the utmost 

 value as a dye. The Mexicans are said to have employ- 

 ed cochineal as a dye long before they were visited by 



History. 



Etymology 

 of the tcri 



scarlet. 



Discovery 

 of the me- 

 thod of 

 ing that 

 colour. 



Introduc- 

 tion of co- 

 chineal as 

 a dye. 



Thi is proved by the following passage from Caneparius, " Isatis est hcrba, que ante florem colligitur ct sub mola tunditur, et 

 facto ex ipsa cuinulo mareratur soli, mox in magnos globos redacta, et sub tecto locata aspergitur aqua, ut magis, potiu&que macere- 

 tur, tune edit magnum fetorem et nigrescit, et sic praparatis isatis sive glaati dicatur idem est, perliritur ad tincturas." " The sup- 

 position of Caneparius," says Dr Bancroft, " that Indigo wa obtained from the Uatis, or woad plant, teems to bavc been prevalent 

 to this country, so late ai 1640." 



