HomeQuizThe Origins of Colors, Pigments, and Dyes Quiz
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1. What insect was used as a source of tannic acid in the manufacture of medieval inks and dyes, creating intense black color?

2. Prior to 1562, Venetian gondolas were colorful and lavishly decorated. That year an edict dictated that gondolas had to be painted which color?

3. Which tree of the pea family (Fabaceae), native to Central America and the West Indies, was once an important source of black dye?

4. Sepia is a dyestuff obtained from the ink sacs of which creatures?

5. Which is a red dyestuff consisting of the pulverized dried bodies of certain female scale insects?

6. When used as a mordant (binder) in dyeing, which chemical compound fixes dye to cotton and other fabrics, rendering the dye insoluble?

7. Which species of scale insect was used to produce a red dye that often formed part of the tribute paid to conquering Roman armies and that was accepted in the Middle Ages as payment for rent?

8. Which is the chief ore mineral of mercury, which was often used by the ancient Romans to decorate murals?

9. Which is the color of the larger violins produced by Antonio Stradivari beginning in 1684?

10. Which is an aromatic resin obtained from incisions in certain trees and used chiefly to make pale varnishes for protecting metals and paintings?

11. Which is a hard, brittle gum resin, obtained from trees of the genus Garcinia, that creates a bright yellow color in its powdered form?

12. Which member of the ginger family is used in Tibet to dye the robes of Buddhist monks?

13. Which is a greenish ceramic glaze used on stoneware?

14. Which dye prepared from benzaldehyde and dimethylaniline is used to color silk, wool, jute, and leather directly and to color cotton that has been mordanted with tannin?

15. Which biennial or perennial herb in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) was formerly grown as a source of the blue dye indigo?