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In these photographs of thermal bottles, interpreted with reflections, I have inverted their color to represent a disappeared dye that was once the most expensive in the world and that science wants to recover, but has not yet been able to do so with total precision. I mean the Tyrian purple.
In La Vanguardia Readers' Photos today we are going to learn details of the exciting history linked to this fascinating color that became so highly valued that it is said to be worth three times more than gold.
Its name refers to its origin, since this purple dye or dye, whose tone could vary between purplish red and purple, was used by the ancient Phoenicians in the city of Tire. Furthermore, it is believed that it was already used in Crete around 1600 BC. c.
Tyrian purple was so expensive that the 4th century BC historian Theopompus. C. left the following written: "Purple for dyes was worth its weight in silver in Colophon", in Asia Minor.
This dye was obtained from a method that can give us an idea of why it was so coveted. It consisted of a mucus or secretion from the hypobranchial gland of a medium-sized carnivorous sea snail, the marine gastropod Bolinus brandaris, a species of the subfamily Muricinae. The snail secretes this substance when it feels threatened or is directly attacked.
It must be taken into account that, to produce one gram of purple, no more and no less than approximately 9,000 mollusks were needed. Its use, therefore, was limited to luxury items only. Today it would also be within the reach of very few people and its price would be prohibitive.
Its production had another drawback: the plague. According to what has been confirmed in Tyre, the snails to make this coveted dye were stored in large jars to decompose. And this produced an unbearable stench. Today it would be unthinkable that something like this could happen in a city.
The Phoenicians also made a dye between purple and indigo, called royal blue or Hyacinth blue, which was made from a very similar species of sea snail, the Hexaplex trunculus.
Of course, this color was expensive, but of great quality. It is believed that the intensity of this purple dye increased, rather than decreased, over time. For the ancient Romans it was ideal for dyeing luxurious ceremonial robes.
Science has tried to recover the purple color of Tire, but has not yet achieved it precisely. The main chemical component of the dye thyrium was discovered in 1909 by Paul Friedländer. But it has not been able to be commercially synthesized faithfully to the original from Antiquity.
How much would the pound of Tyrian purple cost? How much would we be willing to pay for a missing color? It is known that the Romans were willing to pay, for 450 grams, the equivalent of what would be 61,480.65 euros today.
For now, we can content ourselves with imagining what this color would be like if we had it among us. In this series of photographs I have been inspired by the idea of this dye, but also by the work of the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, who basically painted bottles.
