Kermes

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Kermes (of persian / Arabic qirmiz ), even spurious Carmine is a from scale insects derived red dye . The main component is the kermess acid .
Sometimes the red dye obtained from pokeweed or inorganic mineral color pigments based on antimony (see kermesite ) are called kermes.

Other insect dyes related to the kermes are real carmine , from the cochineal scale insect native to Central and South America , the lac dye from the Indian lacquer scale insect , the Polish cochineal (also root kermes or locust's blood ) from the Polish carmine scale insect , and the Armenian cochineal from the scale insect Porphyrophora hameli .

Occurrence and extraction

Scale insects Kermes ilicis

Kermes is obtained from the dried female Kermes scale insects ( Kermes vermilio ), which occur as parasites on the Kermes oaks ( Quercus coccifera ) in the southern and western Mediterranean , as well as another type of scale insect, Kermes ilicis , which grows on stone oaks ( Quercus ilex ) can be found in the Orient and the Eastern Mediterranean region. Because of their appearance, the plump lice were once mistaken for berries. The female scale insects attach themselves to the leaves of the plant after mating. They take on a spherical shape and lay their eggs in a whitish coating on the leaves. After the females die, the body shells remain as a protective shield over the eggs. These casings are collected and dried.

history

Textile finds from a prince's grave from the late Hallstatt period show that the Kermes dyeing was already known in prehistoric times. The use of the scarlet dye was common in ancient Greece and Rome as a somewhat cheaper alternative to the precious purple from the purple snail . In the early Middle Ages, Venice was the main trading center for Kermes. The dye was designated by Pope Paul II in 1465 as a substitute for the real purple used to dye cardinals' clothing. From 1530 onwards, with the import of Mexican real carmine, which has a significantly higher dye content, the use of kermes was superseded.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Friedrich Kluge , Alfred Götze : Etymological dictionary of the German language . 20th ed., Ed. by Walther Mitzka , De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1967; Reprint (“21st unchanged edition”) ibid 1975, ISBN 3-11-005709-3 , p. 353 ( crimson ).
  2. ↑ Technische Universität Dresden: Routledge German Dictionary of Chemistry and Chemical Technology. Volume 2, 6th edition, Langenscheidt, 1997, ISBN 978-0-415-17336-0 , p. 26.
  3. ↑ a b Mark C. Whiting: The dyes in early oriental carpets . In: Society of German Chemists (ed.): Chemistry in our time . 15th year, no. 6 . Verlag Chemie GmbH, Weinheim 1981, p. 179-189 .
  4. ↑ a b Christopher Karl: The 'colorful' Middle Ages - An examination of the production of dyes for textiles and the symbolic meaning of colors in medieval society. 2015, accessed December 3, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Entry on Kermessäure. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on December 3, 2018.
  6. ↑ Thomas Seilnacht: Cochineal. Retrieved December 3, 2018 .
  7. ^ Ines Balzer: The Celtic »princely grave« from Hochdorf near Stuttgart. September 1, 2000, accessed December 3, 2018 .