Trivia Night: Middle aged color

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

During the Middle Ages, almost every color could be made from plant material except one. Which one? (Thanks to Jen for the question.)

At 4:13 PM, Anonymous said...: I'll guess gray, although as I was mentally going through plants and flowers, it seems like there are some sage-y types of plants that are grayish. Nevertheless, my final answer is....GRAY.
At 8:25 PM, Anonymous said...: It's gotta be purple. I think that's why it's the royal color.
At 8:28 PM, Jennifer said...: Nope. I'll give you a clue. My book says, "Curiously, almost any shade of color could be produced from plants except ________." At that time in history, this certain color could only be made from mineral sources.
At 9:23 PM, Anonymous said...: Is it silver?
At 9:37 PM, Anonymous said...: I changed my mind about silver.Is it white?
At 5:21 AM, Jennifer said...: That's a big negatory, neighborette.
At 7:12 AM, Anonymous said...: Okay, enough already. Gold?
At 10:27 AM, Anonymous said...: Curiously, could it be green?
At 12:17 PM, Anonymous said...: Curiously, could it be blue (turquoise)? I think we've almost gone through all the colors in my big box of 164 Crayolas by now! The answer had better not be "Burnt Sienna" or "Raw Umber!"
At 3:13 PM, Jennifer said...: Aye! Just in time for St. Patty's Day! Curiously, green was the only color they couldn't make from plant material at that time. Any green pigment extracted from plant material was highly unstable and unsuitable for dyes and pigments.