Original artwork description:

The purple you see here closely resembles Tyrian Purple, named after the port of Tyre in Lebanon, through which it was traded, and the Latin word 'porphyra' (now known as murex) the Greek name for the Mediterranean sea snail from which the dye was milked, in tiny quantities, and with extreme difficulty. Tyrian purple was so rare and exclusive it became associated with royalty and power. Fortunately for the poor snail Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453 and the recipe for Tyrian purple was lost for over 400 years, until, in 1856, French marine biologist, Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers, rediscovered the murex snail, with its powerful dye. However, also in 1856 English scientist William Perkin, was searching for a way to synthesize quinine, which, until then, was extracted from the bark of a south American tree, at great expense. While experimenting with coal tar, Perkin accidentally produced: mauve. Tyrian purple was old hat; the Mediterranean snail population gurgled a sigh of relief.

Materials used:

Acrylics

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