COCHINEAL RED
Historically, textiles around
the world were dyed with many different natural colorants.
The color red has always been one of the most highly prized colors, in
part because it is among the most difficult to achieve.
The main sources for creating red cloth in the Old World were a variety of plants, animals, and insects.
However, none of the red dyes
produced in the Old World could match the deep crimson color,
ease of use, and abundant supply of the American cochineal insect.
After the Spanish colonized the Americas, cochineal red was used in a variety of textiles throughout the world, from clergy attire to velvet tapestries to military uniforms.
THE HISTORY OF COCHINEAL RED
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400
500
600
700






1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900+
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300-500
PERU
400
Red dye from the cochineal insect
has been used in Mexico and South America as early as the second
century BCE.
400–600
PERU
400–600
PERU
500
Few pre-colonial textiles have survived in Mexico, but thousands of Andean textiles have been preserved in burial sites in Peru's deserts.
600–700
PERU
600
Most of the desert sites that contain cochineal red textiles are dated between 400–700 C.E.
700-1300
Different textile techniques that
did not use cochineal red were
more common in this period.
However, evidence suggests that cochineal red remained a valuable resource for art throughout
the Americas.
Today, we have several cochineal red textiles from the Inka Empire, in part because textiles were taken after the Spanish conquest in 1532.
1400–1500
PERU
1460–1540
PERU
1400–1500
SPAIN
1450–1550
PERU
1400
Artisans in the Andes continued
to create sophisticated textiles.
After the Spanish arrived, they
began incorporating both Inka
and European aesthetics.
Soon after the Spanish colonized
the Aztec and Inka empires,
their ships were shipping dried cochineal by the ton to the
Old World.

1500–1700
PERU
1500–1600
SPAIN
1596
SPAIN
1596
1500–1700
SPAIN
In the sixteenth century, Persia,
which exported its own red
insect dyes, began to import the
American cochineal.
1500–1700
IRAN
1500–1600
IRAN
Velvet production in Italy was highly regulated by guilds, which originally prohibited the use of American cochineal, but began to allow its use
by the mid-sixteenth century.
1570
ITALY
1595–6
ITALY
1500
1600–1700
PERU
1600–1700
SPAIN
1623–8
ITALY
1650–1750
ITALY
1600–1700
TURKEY
1600–1700
IRAN
1600–1700
1600
Cochineal red continued to be used
in the Spanish colonies and across
the Old World.
The Dutch became cochineal red experts, and the English shipped their woolen cloth, which was famously
used for their redcoat uniforms, to the Netherlands to be dyed red.
1750–1775
ENGLAND
Cochineal red also made its way to
the English colonies in North America not from Mexico or South America,
but through trade with England.
1750
UNITED STATES
1770
UNITED STATES
1775–1800
UNITED STATES
1786
MEXICO
1700
As the exchange of goods circled
the globe, cochineal red has
been found in areas as far as China
and Turkmenistan.
1850–1900
CHINA
1819–1820
TURKEY
1800–1850
TURKMENISTAN
Native American weavers were able
to incorporate cochineal reds into
their textiles by utilizing sheep’s wool and dyed yarns that came via trade with Europe.
1860–1870
UNITED STATES
1800
1900
AND BEYOND
The demand for cochineal fell
sharply when synthetic dyes were discovered in Europe in the middle
of the 19th century.
Trade in cochineal slowed down significantly over the course of the 20th century, and today it is primarily used in food and cosmetics.
CREDITS
Cochineal Red was designed and developed by Kirsten Holland at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts for her 2021 Communication Design BFA Capstone. This site uses Tablet Gothic designed by Veronika Burian and José Scaglione and Manuka from Klim. All artworks featured in this virtual exhibition are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
ADDITIONAL READING
 Cochineal Red in Art at the Met
 Cochineal Red in Art History
 Bugs in Your Food
 Why You May Have Been Eating Insects Your Whole Life
SOURCES
Cochineal Red: The Art History of a Color
 The Bug That Had the World Seeing Red
 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection ‍
Textile 
Fragment
300–500, Peru
The red and pink on this textile fragment were dyed with cochineal. This textile comes from the Recuay culture, which was known for their pottery
and their depiction of human figures and animals.
Coca Bag
400–600, Peru
This bag was used to hold coca leaves, which are important to Andean culture. It may be the earliest example of cochineal-dyed cloth from the northern coast of Peru.
Wari 
Tunic
400–600, Peru
In the ancient Andes, the tunic was the most elaborate garment worn by men. The geometric design on this tunic from the Wari culture is representing camelid (e.g. llama) heads.
Tunic 
Fragment
600–700, Peru
By this time, cochineal red dye was readily available and used everywhere in the Andes. It was also being used in present-day Mexico, but fewer artifacts from Mexico exist today.

Bag
Tassel
1400–1600, Peru
This is a tassel from an Inka bag that has designs of llamas. The fringe is reminiscent of the royal Inka headgear.

Shirt
1450–1500, Peru
This tunic is from the Chimú culture, which was known for elaborate garments. The tunic
is decorated with abstract
felines and human-like figures
in crescent headdresses.

Inka
Tunic
1460–1540, Peru
White tunics like this were especially esteemed by the Inkas, as white camelids were comparatively rare in the Andes. The red diamond band was
dyed with cochineal red.
Curtain
Fragment
1400–1500, Spain
Geometric designs such as the ones in this fragment of a curtain panel are found ornamenting a wide variety of media in Spain during this period, including tile work, woodwork, book binding, and painted stucco.

Wedding
Mantle
1500–1700, Peru
This textile is a woman’s wedding mantle called an illica, which is essentially a shawl. It contains both elements of Spanish interlace design and Inka tocapu design.
Cope
1500–1600, Spain
The cope is a liturgical vestment, which looks like a long cloak that is open in the front and fastened with a band or clasp. It can be worn by any member of the clergy.

Banner
1596, Spain
Based on the embroidered inscription, this banner belonged to a confraternity of shepherds who cared for the flocks of a Mercedarian monastery.
Chasuble
1500–1700, Spain
A chasuble is a sleeveless outer vestment worn by a priest when celebrating Mass. Cochineal-dyed wool was adhered to the leather surface.
Tapestry
1570, Italy
This Italian tapestry depicts an episode from the mythological
story of Mercury and Herse, as recounted by the ancient Roman writer Ovid in The Metamorphoses. It’s from a set of 8 tapestries depicting the full story. 

Tapestry
1595–6, Italy
This Italian tapestry depicts the Children of Israel gathering manna and Moses holding the tablets on which he inscribed the Ten Commandments. It came from a Florentine workshop and was one of a set of three. 


Textile
Fragment
1500–1700, Iran
This Persian textile from the Safavid period depicts a love story told by the poet Nizama. Interspersed are inscriptions with verses describing the beauty and splendor of this woven cloth.

Silk Carpet
1500–1600, Iran
This Persian carpet was likely woven in Kashan, an important center for silk trade and carpet manufacture during the Safavid period (1501–1736).

Figurative Tapestry
1600–1700, Peru
This Peruvian tapestry incorporates figurative scenes from classical mythology, combining both Andean and Spanish aesthetics.

Textile
Fragment
1600–1700, Spain
This silk fragment was one of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s earliest acquisitions.
Cope
1623–8, Italy
This cope was made for Antonio Barberini, Grand Prior of Rome in the Order of Saint John and the Knights of Malta. The design incorporates the device of the Barberini family and the arms of Cardinal Antonio Barberini.
Silk
Fragment
1650–1750, Italy
In this brocaded silk fragment, the natural bluish qualities of cochineal red were enhanced in
a dye recipe that made the
color crimson.
Textile
Fragment
1600–1700, Turkey
This fragment of brocaded velvet has a pattern with pomegranates and rosettes. American cochineal red was brought to Turkey by the Dutch East India Company and English East India Company.
Brocaded
Square
1600–1700, Iran
Two red dyes were used in this textile: the nightingales’ heads and flowers were dyed with safflower, which has faded, while the wings of the birds were dyed with cochineal, which has by contrast remained bright red.
Suit
1750–1775, England
The densely felted cochineal-dyed wool of this suit is typical of English woolens, including that used for the military uniforms
of the British redcoats.
Needle
Work
1750, United States
This piece is one of five known versions of this design completed by young ladies at school in Boston. All feature a shepherdess with her smaller shepherd suitor.
Coverlet
1770, United States
When the panels of this coverlet were embroidered, they were not meant to be constructed into a bed covering. Originally, they were bed curtains and three bed valances, which were later stitched together.
Calamanco
Quilt
1775–1800,
United States
This quilt was made of a glazed wool fabric called calamanco that was dyed with cochineal mordanted with tin to make the orange-red hue popularly called fire scarlet.
Coverlet
1786, Mexico
The cochineal-dyed red silk thread in this embroidered coverlet may have come from China, which is evidence of how global trade was at the time.
The imagery on this coverlet celebrates love and marriage.
Wearing
Blanket
1860–1870,
United States
Native American weavers were able to incorporate brilliant reds into their textiles by utilizing dyed yarns that came via trade with Europeans. Cochineal was used to dye the red yarn in this blanket from the Navajo tribe.
Wedding
Banner
1850–1900, China
In Chinese culture, the color red has traditionally been symbolic of happiness and prosperity, and it is used in many ritual and civil occasions, such as weddings and New Year celebrations.
Banner
1819–1820, Turkey
This silk shield-shaped banner displays an image of a two-bladed sword with a dragon-headed hilt. It is inscribed with with the names of God, Muhammad and the first four leaders of the Muslim community, and bordered by Qur’anic verses.
Coat
1800–1850, Turkmenistan
Renowned for their knotted-pile carpets and storage bags, Turkmen weavers also produced wearable art such as this coat. The decoration of the exterior is among the best examples of Turkmen embroidery.

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