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Variety of the tints

The actual tints produced from the shell-fish appear to have ranged from blue, through violet and purple, to crimson and rose. Scarlet could not be obtained, but was yielded by the cochineal insect. Even for the brighter sorts of crimson some admixture of the cochineal dye was necessary. The violet tint was not generally greatly prized, though there was a period in the reign of Augustus when it was the fashion; redder hues were commonly preferred; and the choicest of all is described as "a rich, dark purple, the colour of coagulated blood." A deep crimson was also in request, and seems frequently to be intended when the term purple ({porphureos}, /purpureus/) is used.

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