The King’s Scarlet / Watercolour

Description

The King’s Scarlet is a watercolour whose title is derived from historical records about the precious colours used to dye Henry VIII’s robes. They were called “Scarlets” and when worn out, were recycled into new garments by extracting the red dyes used. The reason for this being the pigments were then imported from the East along the Silk road and had to be transported under armed guard, a very expensive project. The colour red was highly prized and used only for royalty and religious cardinals of the time. It therefore made sense to extract these precious colours for reuse in new garments. ” Using the red palette in watercolours is a tricky procedure, more like alchemy than painting, so every time I get a successful result it’s a cause for some celebration”.