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Tyrian: Tyrian Purple
built 268 days ago
Murex trunculus The most unusual aspect of Tyrian purple is the colour. In solution, the colour is blue but as a dye in the solid state it is purple. Details of the spectroscopy can be found here
Tyrian Purple was a 'red' rather than purple dye, first made in Tyre in the eastern Mediterranean 2-3000 years ago in what was probably one of the earliest chemical industries. The dye was obtained from the hypobranchial gland of muricid snails (Murex, Thais spp). The purple ink produced by Sea Hares, which is ... reddish, is quite different and not permanent.
Tyrian purple is a purple dye first made in the ancient city of Tyre. It was made from a secretion of various marine molluscs, such as Murex trunculus and Murex brandaris. The expensive dye was prized by Roman noblemen, who used it to colour ceremonial robes.
The sparse use of Tyrian purple in a very few compositions belonging to one single room is not unexpected from the technical point of view, taking into consideration the incompatibility of this organic pigment with the fresco painting technique. Moreover, it is obviously related to the painting conventions of the time, the symbolism of the precise compositions (collection of croci, procession of women, rituals) and the religious character of this building (Xeste 3 is a public building with evident religious character).
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Tyrian purple, or Tyrian dye, a celebrated purple dye prepared in ancient Tyre from several mollusks, especially Ianthina, Murex, and Purpura. See the Note under Purple, n., 1, and Purple of mollusca, under Purple, n.
In the samples taken from the paint details, Tyrian purple has been identified through the use of Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra have been ... acquired from a sample of the purple powder confirming the presence of Tyrian purple and verifying the initial indications extracted from earlier results of X-Ray diffraction and X-Ray fluorescence analyses.
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