Madder Root
Item
Identifier
2025.064
Title
Madder Root
Alternative Title
Rubia cordifolia)
Type
Material
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Description
Madder contains one of the most complex groups of substances of any dye plant–more than twenty compounds are contained in the plant. Alizarin, the organic dye found in the madder plant, creates the crimson red we associate with madder. However, there are yellow and purple colorants in the chemical mix, which is why madder produces such a wide variety of naturally-dyed colors.
Madder is one of our most ancient dyes–the universal red. Cotton textiles from the Indus civilization date to around 3000 B.C. A madder-dyed belt was found in Tutankhamun’s grave and archeologists have unearthed madder-dyed fabrics in ancient China. The Andean cultures of Paracas and Nasca used the domestic madder plant Relbunium long before cochineal. Throughout history, dyers used madder on wool and cotton, as silk was considered so precious it could only be dyed with cochineal.
Madder is one of our most ancient dyes–the universal red. Cotton textiles from the Indus civilization date to around 3000 B.C. A madder-dyed belt was found in Tutankhamun’s grave and archeologists have unearthed madder-dyed fabrics in ancient China. The Andean cultures of Paracas and Nasca used the domestic madder plant Relbunium long before cochineal. Throughout history, dyers used madder on wool and cotton, as silk was considered so precious it could only be dyed with cochineal.
Subject
dye materials; dye; dyes; dyeing; red; orange
Source
Purchased from Botanical Colors
Copyright statement
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