Colours in abundance and
bundles - the sale of
Chinese silk textiles at the
auctions of the
Scandinavian East India
Companies
Hanna Hodacs
h.hodacs@warwick.ac.uk
9857 Pieces of Silk textiles
Types
• 4996 Damask pieces
“Meuble” or “Poise”
• 3250 Taffeta pieces
4, 6, or 8 threads
• 1040 Paduasoy pieces
Standard lengths:
• 13.8-14.1 m
• 16.2-16.65 m
• 22.8-23.7 m
Width (when specified)
• 1.25 m
Mazarin blå
Mazarin blue (dark blue colour) name
from French cardinal Mazarin.
French synonym “gros bleu” ?
Jonquil (Yellow), Narcissus yellow,
autumn crocus, meadow saffron
Mörckblå
Dark blue
Carmoise
(Karmosin)
Crimson (Red), cherry-red, ruby
Blyfärg
Lead coloured
Sölfwerfärg
Silver coloured
Grön
Green
Paille (halmgul)
Swarta
Black
Light yellow, straw-coloured, oat
coloured
Turqvinblått
Blue – grey? “Turquin marble”
Gohlt
Gold
Coul. de Chair
Meat coloured
Incarnat
Incarnat, vermeil, hue coloured
Blomerant
From French ”bleu mourant” pale blue
(matt), see also Dutch bleumerant and
German blümerant.
Purpur
Purple
Terms for colours
in Sw. Catalogue
Translations and Synonyms or reference
Himmelsblå
Sky blue, Azure blue, Cornflower blue
Jonqville
Skarl.färg
Scarlet-coloured, Red close to orange
probably short for
Skarlakands
Brunt
Brown
Askfärgad
Ash coloured
Ponceau
Red (bright) French for "poppy-colored
Hvita
White
Coul. de Rose
Pink ?(Couleur de rose)
Citrongohlt
Lemon yellow
Liusblå
Light blue
Perlfärg
Pearl – coloured
Olive-gröna
Olive Green
Different systems of colours 18th
century
•
•
•
•
Newton - principle colours
Basic colours (the specialisation of tradesmen)
Primary and secondary colours
Simple colour – a colour made out of one
pigment/source only
Sara Lowengard, The Creation of Color
Mazarin blå
Mazarin blue (dark blue colour) name
from French cardinal Mazarin.
French synonym “gros bleu” ?
Jonquil (Yellow), Narcissus yellow,
autumn crocus, meadow saffron
Mörckblå
Dark blue
Carmoise
(Karmosin)
Crimson (Red), cherry-red, ruby
Blyfärg
Lead coloured
Sölfwerfärg
Silver coloured
Grön
Green
Paille (halmgul)
Swarta
Black
Light yellow, straw-coloured, oat
coloured
Turqvinblått
Blue – grey? “Turquin marble”
Gohlt
Gold
Coul. de Chair
Meat coloured
Incarnat
Incarnat, vermeil, hue coloured
Blomerant
From French ”bleu mourant” pale blue
(matt), see also Dutch bleumerant and
German blümerant.
Purpur
Purple
Terms for colours
in Sw. Catalogue
Translations and Synonyms or reference
Himmelsblå
Sky blue, Azure blue, Cornflower blue
Jonqville
Skarl.färg
Scarlet-coloured, Red close to orange
probably short for
Skarlakands
Brunt
Brown
Askfärgad
Ash coloured
Ponceau
Red (bright) French for "poppy-colored
Hvita
White
Coul. de Rose
Pink ?(Couleur de rose)
Citrongohlt
Lemon yellow
Liusblå
Light blue
Perlfärg
Pearl – coloured
Olive-gröna
Olive Green
Colours of Silk fabric listed in sales catalogue Gothenburg 1746
French influence on the nomenclature
•
•
•
•
•
Poneceau
Couleur de Rose
Couleur de Chair
Paille
Blomerant from French
Bleu mourant
• Turqvin blue probably
from Turquin marble
• Mazarin blue, dark blue,
named “in honour of “
Cardinal Mazarin,
Richelieu’s predecessor
Different shades of Silk
• 6 different colours of blue (Sky blue, dark blue,
mazarine blue, light blue, Blue Turqvin, and Blomerant)
• 5 different colours of red including Pink, (Crimson,
Scarlet, Poncea, Coloure de Rose, Colulure the Chair)
• 3 different colours of grey (Ash coloured, Pearl
Coloured, Lead Coloured)
• 3 different shades of yellow, (Jonquil, Lemon Yellow
and Paille)
Dammast: 4496 pieces
Jonguil
Carmoise
Himmelsblå/Sky blue
Grön/Green
Mazarine Blå/blue
Skarlet. Färg/ Scarlet
Ponceau
Ask färgad/Ash coloured
Turquvin Blått/ Blue Turguin
Hvita/ White
Citrongohlt/Lemon Yellow
Perlfärg./Perl coloured
Swart/Black
Brunt/Brown
Coul. de Rose
Blyfärg/Lead coloured
Sölwerfärg/Silver coloured
Paille/strawcolured
8
Mörckblå/Dark blue
Gohlt/Gold
ljusblå/Light blue
Incarnat/vermeil
Purpur/Purple
Coul. de Chair/Meat colured
Blomerant/Pale blue
Olivgrön/Olive Green
Damask: in 21 out of 26 colours
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
• Significant holdings in 16 out of 26 colours
Dammast
Himmelsblå/Sky blue
Taffeta: 3250 pieces
Carmoise
Jonguil
Swart/Black
Grön/Green
Turquvin Blått/ Blue Turguin
Skarlet. Färg/ Scarlet
Ask färgad/Ash coloured
Coul. de Rose
Mörckblå/Dark blue
Hvita/ White
Ponceau
Citrongohlt/Lemon Yellow
Brunt/Brown
Perlfärg./Perl coloured
Paille/strawcolured
Purpur/Purple
Blyfärg/Lead coloured
Mazarine Blå/blue
Sölwerfärg/Silver coloured
Incarnat/vermeil
Gohlt/Gold
Coul. de Chair/Meat colured
Blomerant/Pale blue
Olivgrön/Olive Green
ljusblå/Light blue
Taffeta: in 17 out of 26 colours
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Tafft
Swart/Black
Himmelsblå/Sky blue
Brunt/Brown
Carmoise
Jonguil
Turquvin Blått/ Blue Turguin
Mazarine Blå/blue
Skarlet. Färg/ Scarlet
Ponceau
Perlfärg./Perl coloured
Hvita/ White
Citrongohlt/Lemon Yellow
Blyfärg/Lead coloured
Ask färgad/Ash coloured
Coul. de Rose
Grön/Green
Gohlt/Gold
Incarnat/vermeil
Sölwerfärg/Silver coloured
Mörckblå/Dark blue
Purpur/Purple
ljusblå/Light blue
Paille/strawcolured
Coul. de Chair/Meat colured
Blomerant/Pale blue
Olivgrön/Olive Green
Padesoy
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Padesoy
800
700
600
500
400
Damask
Taffeta
300
Paduasoy
Gorgorone
Satin
200
100
0
Colours of 2145 silk pieces for
sale in Copenhagen 1756
Pand Damast
Carmoisin
Bleumerant
Grühn
Jonqvillr
Rosa
Schwartz
Turkin
Weis
Ponceau
Perle
Paille
Aschgrau
Citron
Hellgrühne
Violet
Brand-Gelb
Braun
Colours
Carmoise
Jonguil
Ponceau”
Brun/Brown
Pärlfärg/perl coloured
Himmelsblå/Sky blue
Askfärg./Ash coloured
Skarlet/Scarlet colour
Turquinblått/Blue Turguin
Blyfärg/Lead coloured
Grön/Green
Mazarine blå/Blue
Hwita/White
Citronfärg./Lemon Yellow
Coul. De Rose/Pink
Swarta/Black
Price (average)
31 pieces of Damask Poisies
in 16 colours (30 lots)
4
3
2
1
1
4
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
55.89
37 pieces/ 6 colours (1 lot)
23
2
3
2
3
4
44.75
Model B
Model A
Bale 1
Bale 2
Model A:
Turn one Bale into several bundles. Allows
for variety of patterns and colours.
Model B:
Bundels from several differenet Bales (one
colour in each), don’t allow for much
variety between Bale 1 and Bale 2