History of woad cultivation Isatis tinctoria

the hunt of unicorn tapestry, dyed weld (yellow), madder (red), , woad (blue).



woad merchant jean de bernuy s 16th-century mansion in toulouse



woad merchant pierre assézat s 16th-century mansion in toulouse

melo , rondão write woad known far time of ancient egyptians, used dye cloth wrappings applied mummies. skelton informs 1 of dyes discovered ancient egyptians blue woad (isatis tinctoria). lucas writes, has been assumed have been indian indigo on ancient egyptian fabrics may have been woad. hall states ancient egyptians created blue dye using indigotin, otherwise known woad.

celtic blue shade of blue, known glas celtig in welsh, or gorm ceilteach in scottish gaelic. julius caesar reported (in bellum gallicum) britanni used colour bodies blue vitrum, word translates glass , has been translated woad (isatis tinctoria). carr suggests translation of: dye glazes or infect (or work ) glass . analysis done on lindow man did return evidence of copper. same study noted earliest definite reference woad plant in british isles dates seed impression on anglo-saxon pot. authors theorized vitrum have referred copper(ii) sulfate s naturally occurring variant chalcanthite or mineral azurite. later study concluded amount not of sufficient magnitude provide convincing evidence copper deliberately applied paint . in terms of usage, vitrum more used refer glass rather woad.

woad important dyeing agent in of europe , parts of england during medieval period. however, dye traders began import indigo during sixteenth , seventeenth centuries, threatened replace locally grown woad primary blue dye. translation of vitrum woad may date period.

due , other roman accounts of them painting or tattooing bodies, northern inhabitants of britain came known picts (picti), meaning painted ones in latin. people modern experiences woad tattoo pigment have claimed not work well, , caustic , causes scarring when put skin. gillian carr conducted experiments using indigo pigment derived woad mixed different binders make body paint. resulting paints yielded colors grey-blue, through intense midnight blue, black .

medieval period onwards

illustration of german woad mill in thuringia, 1752

woad 1 of 3 staples of european dyeing industry, along weld (yellow) , madder (red). chaucer mentions use dyer ( litestere ) in poem former age:

no mader, welde, or wood no litestere.
ne knew; flees of former hewe

the 3 colors can seen in tapestries such hunt of unicorn (1495–1505), though typically dark blue of woad has lasted best.

in viking age levels @ archaeological digs @ york, dye shop remains of both woad , madder has been excavated , dated 10th century. in medieval times, centres of woad cultivation lay in lincolnshire , somerset in england, jülich , erfurt area in thuringia in germany, piedmont , tuscany in italy, , gascogne, normandy, somme basin (from amiens saint-quentin), brittany and, above all, languedoc in france. last region, in triangle created toulouse, albi, , carcassonne, long time productive of woad, or pastel known there, 1 writer commenting woad... hath made country happiest , richest in europe. prosperous woad merchants of toulouse displayed affluence in splendid mansions, many of still stand, hôtel de bernuy , hôtel d assézat. 1 merchant, jean de bernuy, spanish jew had fled inquisition, credit-worthy enough main guarantor of ransomed king francis after capture @ battle of pavia charles v of spain. of woad produced here used cloth industry in southern france, exported via bayonne, narbonne , bordeaux flanders, low countries, italy, , above britain , spain.

a major market woad @ görlitz in silesia. citizens of 5 thuringian färberwaid (dye woad) towns of erfurt, gotha, tennstedt, arnstadt , langensalza had own charters. in erfurt, woad-traders gave funds found university of erfurt. traditional fabric still printed woad in thuringia, saxony , lusatia today: known blaudruck (literally, blue print(ing) ).

medieval uses of dye not limited textiles. example, illustrator of lindisfarne gospels used woad-based pigment blue paint.