Is Purple historically accurate?

[groomporter]

The original post provided a link which says as of 1363
"Cloth of gold and purple silk were confined to women of the royal family".

Some fairs have interpreted this to restrict participants from wearing purple unless they are royals. -If you're a paying customer wear what you want. If you're a participant consult with your local costume director.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

This is such a wonderful portrait that any Color scheme could work.

I have to concur with Grooporter regarding Purple. If one is a customer/patron of a faire, wear what you want. If one is on cast as part of the Royal Court/Entourage, the wearing of Purple is verboten if not part of playing a member of the Royal Family, unless the Costume Director states otherwise.

Makes sense to me now that I think of it.

[operafantomet]

Dona, unfortunately that version of the painting had its colors tweaked for working out color schemes.

If memory serves me:
http://trystancraft.com/costume/2007/11/18/veronese-inspiration/

The original is blue and white stripes rather then smokey plum.

Yes, that is indeed a photoshopped version. But I agree with others, that outfit would look good in any colour combination!

The doublet she wears is very similar to the one Erik Sture was buried in in 1567. Which is interesting, as the Veronese portrait is dated to 1560-70, and it was about this time women starting adapting male garments into their everyday outfits - doublets, hats etc. Church and authorities was not too happy about this. Pretty much like the Western world in the 1970s... Here's the Sture outfit:



Not that THAT is related to purple... Except that the now tan "pludderhoses" were originally plum coloured. 

[DonaCatalina]

I thought something looked fishy about the black and purple since my search turned up the painting in blue at about twice the rate of the purple and black one.

[Cilean]

Okay,

So the logs of clothing given to the good Queen Bess,

In 1561/62
By the Lorde North, in a purse of purple silk and silver, in dimy soveraignes
By the Lady Fitzwilliam, widowe, one petycoate of purple satten cutt upon gold sarceonett, with two borders embrauderid with gold and silver, and fringed with gold, silver, and silke.
By Sir Gower Carew, Master of the Henchmen, a desk covered with purple vellat embrored with gold.
By Benedick Spinulla, oone hoole peice of purple vellat.
By Richarde Mathews, Cutler, a peir of knives with a shethe, covered with purple vellat.

In 1564/65
By the Earle of Westemerlande in a purse of purple silke and golde in Angelles
By the Earle of Huntingdon in a purse of purple silke and siluer in golde
By Benedicke Spinula a hoole pece of purple vellat wth Satten grounde

In 1565/66
By the lady Dakers of the Sowth a wastecoate of purple satten allour enbradered with Venice siluer
By Benedike Spinola oone greate Cusshion and two lessr of purple


1575
By the Duches of Suffolke, a feyer cushyn of purple vellat, very feyerly embrawdred of the story of Truth set with garnetts and sede perle, the backsyde purple satten frynged, and tassells of Venice golde and silke.
By the Countes of Bedford, a dublet and a foreparte of murry satten embrowdred with flowers of golde, silver, and sylke, and lyned with orenge tawny taphata.
By the Lady Mary Vere, a fore parte of purple taphata, set with roses of white sipers, and cheynes betweene of Venice golde, with a brode pasmane of golde, unlyned and unmade.
By Rauf Bowes, a cap of purple vellat set with eight dosen and six buttons of golde, with a white fether.
By William Huggans, a grete swete bag of purple taphata enbrawdred, and nineteen small baggs of sarcenet.

1577/78
By the Duches of Suffolke, a feyer cushyn of purple vellat, very feyerly embrawdred of the story of Truth set with garnetts and sede perle, the backsyde purple satten frynged, and tassells of Venice golde and silke.
By the Countes of Bedford, a dublet and a foreparte of murry satten embrowdred with flowers of golde, silver, and sylke, and lyned with orenge tawny taphata.
By the Lady Mary Vere, a fore parte of purple taphata, set with roses of white sipers, and cheynes betweene of Venice golde, with a brode pasmane of golde, unlyned and unmade.

1578/79
By the Countes of Kent, doager, a mufler of purple vellat, enbrawdred with Venice and damaske golde and perle.
By the Lady Barones Sheffelde, a kyrtyll of purple satten, with roses of white lawne enbrawdred with golde unlyned.
By Mr. Dyer, a foreparte of white satten, with a brode garde of purple satten, enbraudered withe Venice golde, silluer, and sede perle, unlyned.

As to portraits, I have not found a single one, does this mean no one wore it? Nope, it means they picked other colors, remember color was symbollic and perhaps? Purples were not the thing? I don't know I found dozens of gifts in the color gynger and ash and all a manner of white and black. So I can establish they existed because they were given to the Queen, but I have no portrait evidence to show it.

Cilean
Who will wear 'Murrey' and Purple proudly!!! 

[isabelladangelo]

Keep in mind, what we call purple and what they called purple are two different colors.  We "confuse" purple and violet all the time -they didn't.   Purple was a deep maroon with a slight blue tinge to it.   Violet was what we still think of violet as.   

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/extcam1.htm -extant chemise with violet/purple (Arnold calls it Lavender, I think) embroidery

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/120039906?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=gloves+embroidered&pos=3 - gloves with violet embroidery

[Cilean]

Because of how difficult it was to harvest enough Sea Snails, process them to produce the Color Purple, laws stated that the color  was only reserved for the Monarch and his/her immediate family members.  Though Woad was plentiful, this smelly, cabbage-like vegetable was processed to create the varying degrees of bright blues when the air hit the yarn strands.

However? Inventive people today can over dye madder with woad and get a very deep aubergine color, so why would the people we emulate?  Perhaps like recipes for veggies? It was considered so standard people did not feel the need to show it? I am trying to find a portrait that needs cleaning some say it is murrey or plum colored but shows brown now.  There are some others that suggest some of the blacks we see today, when cleaned they might be greens or purples.  I know a Titian was recently cleaned and oh my GOSH how the color pops now!

Cilean

[DonaCatalina]

Several restored paintings have revealed brilliant colors under the dirt and lacquer.

[Cilean]

The Ladies over at Tudor Tailor were just commenting on 'Violet' being a color that was woad mixed with beets or other commonly found dyes of the time period.

I think we have the same issue we have had with "Pink", I have seen carnation and maiden's blush, or several other names but not the term "Pink" does it make it any less Pink? Or Purple? Murrey is documented as being a deeper Violet color.  Recently I was astounded to see a very young couple show me the color they wanted in their home, it was called Moss Green, but really? It was Avocado from the 70's!! I was like? Um? But I did not want to hurt their feelings, so I asked them if they did any color science or psychology of color choices and that green hues might not be what they wanted to paint their kitchen.

Just wanted to re-mention this information, from ,now on? I am going to call my purple? Violet!

Cilean
Voilet and Happy!

[gem]

Recently I was astounded to see a very young couple show me the color they wanted in their home, it was called Moss Green, but really? It was Avocado from the 70's!!

Hee!  This is totally OT, but in collage, I once (very briefly) lived in an apartment with a PINK oven. I wonder how many of *those* they sold?    

[Merlin the Elder]

My in-laws had purple bathroom fixtures...historically accurate for the 50s, I suppose...

[DonaCatalina]

This past week we went to see Caravaggio and His Followers ij Rome. Part of the exhibit was
Claude Vignon
Judith with the Head of Holofernes c. 1620
oil on canvas
102 x 82 cm
Koelliker Collection

I cannot find the image online; but she is shown with her right shoulder facing out. Her Italian style dress is a dark olive; but her large sleeves are Welch's grape soda purple.