Tyrian Purple Ink?

[Mastersmith043]

I was reading today about indigo and all of its processes and history, and at the end of the article, I came across one on Tyrian purple (royal purple). Does anyone know of an ink that matches this fascinating shade?

 

I was just captivated by it for some reason. Sorry for how disjointed this is. It's really late here!

[Tiffanyhenschel]

The first that comes to my mind is Noodler's La Coleur Royale. It is a royal purple.

[mhphoto]

I googled tyrian purple and came across many different hues, but here's a site that I trust for an authentic representation of the true color of the dye.

 

Here's a picture from the article.

 

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/randy25rhoads/plicopurpura-pansa-banner_75499_1.jpg

 

From the purples I've tested and review so far, I'd say Noodler's North African Violet is the closest, followed by Noodler's Purple (which is nearly the same color, but gets darker than NAV when it's laid on thick), Private Reserve Tanzanite, and then Noodler's La Couleur Royale, all in that order.

 

But that's only the inks I have in my big pile o' reviews.

[The Good Captain]

Diamine Majestic Purple or Imperial Purple, perhaps?

[Uncle Red]

OK, that's not real Tyrian purple from Murex mollusc. That's an interesting dye from a South American snail and I hope the sustainable harvest methods work out. They may be distant relatives.

 

The sample I saw in a museum collection was a reddish purple. Porphry, the stone, is a similar color.

 

Whoever wrote the Wikipedia article knows their history.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple

[Chris S]

Based on the Wiki page, and my uncalibrated screen, looks like Diamine Syrah or Oxblood may be in the neighbourhood of what you are looking for.

[lapis]

Diamine Majestic Purple or Imperial Purple, perhaps?

I'll buy that! Actually I have already long since done so!!!

 

Joe

[Alexandra]

Noodler's Cactus Fruit Eel might be what you're looking for. This isn't my review but I do have this ink and it's LOVELY. The wetter the writer the more purple it looks.

http://www.thenibs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Noodlers-Cactus-Fruit-Eel-216x300.jpg

 

[mhphoto]

OK, that's not real Tyrian purple from Murex mollusc. That's an interesting dye from a South American snail and I hope the sustainable harvest methods work out. They may be distant relatives.

 

The sample I saw in a museum collection was a reddish purple. Porphry, the stone, is a similar color.

 

Whoever wrote the Wikipedia article knows their history.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple

 

Yeah, I wasn't exactly sure if that was really tyrian purple. Google provides you with a lot of different images when you search for it, among them a purple strippers outfit…

[mhphoto]

Noodler's Cactus Fruit Eel might be what you're looking for. This isn't my review but I do have this ink and it's LOVELY. The wetter the writer the more purple it looks.

http://www.thenibs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Noodlers-Cactus-Fruit-Eel-216x300.jpg

 

Oh! That's in my review queue. Can't wait to review it.

[inkstainedruth]

Noodler's Cactus Fruit Eel might be what you're looking for. This isn't my review but I do have this ink and it's LOVELY. The wetter the writer the more purple it looks.

http://www.thenibs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Noodlers-Cactus-Fruit-Eel-216x300.jpg

 

Yeah, I seem to remember reading something about Tyrian Purple a number of years ago, and was thinking that it had a more reddish tinge than North African Violet does. And I say that in *spite* of it being in my top five favorite ink colors....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Uncle Red]

Yeah, modern Imperial Purple is nothing like the old stuff.

[Kyouju]

I too have been looking for an ink that would match the description of the interpretation of Tyrian purple (because the ancient sources do vary quite a bit on their descriptions, and it is fair to think that interpretations varied across cultures and ages) most valued by the Ancient Romans, but I have yet to find something that satisfies me. The Latin texts (specifically Republican Roman to Early Empire) describe the most expensive version as so rich and dark it was black by daylight, only shot with crimson and plum highlights where the fabric shifted or took a wrinkle. If anyone has any ink suggestions that they feel might match such a description, please do edify us.

[josiah]

OK, that's not real Tyrian purple from Murex mollusc. That's an interesting dye from a South American snail and I hope the sustainable harvest methods work out. They may be distant relatives.

Actually, it is a Murex mollusk,[1] just not the same Murex as that used in the archaic Mediterranean. As a bonus, the pigment is the same: 6,6'-dibromoindigo (according to a quick Google search), and is found in many mollusks in the Murex family.

 

However, Tyrian purple may not have been made solely from the Murex pigment. I think I remember reading that the Murex pigment may have been mixed with a similarly valuable red pigment, and it's likely that there was cooking procedure that affected the color or durability of the dye. So the pigments made from the South American and the Mediterranean Murex snails are probably about the same, but it's not unlikely that the Romans had some more specific recipes that included that pigment to make their dyes.

 

That said, La Reigne Mauve, when diluted, looks a lot like the color portrayed by the South American dyers. It's possible that LRM has a synthesized dibromoindigo ingredient, but I'm just speculating.

 

Whoever wrote the Wikipedia article knows their history.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple

 

Another interesting place to look, which brings the search back around to indigo, is into the subject of Tekhelet, the historically significant blue dye of Jewish tradition.

 

I've also seen an article describing the chemical processes that take place during the fermentation process of the pigment, but I'm having problems finding it again at present. I believe it was somewhere on this site, but I may be mistaken.

 

[1]. The snail used in Central and South America is the Purpura Pansa, which is in the family Muricidae, which is the Murex family, and the descriptions of the dye changing colors from milky white through green to bluish is consistent with that of the Mediterranean Murex mollusks.

Edited October 8, 2012 by josiah

[The Good Captain]

But those who have commented over the passage of time, that purple inks and their 'derivatives' stain pen parts etc so badly, should surely not be wanting to achieve a modern equivalent, which might do exactly the same.