Cochineal Red: The Art History of a Color Paperback – October 9, 2012

I've done quite a lot of reading of works on red dyes and specifically cochineal. Elena Phipps is a fabulous researcher and has done us all a service by putting this publication together. What is especially nice is that this book focuses a great deal on works from the Americas. That is after all where cochineal came from and where the Spanish conquerors took it from. (St John's Blood and Armenian Cochineal notwithstanding) The textiles that were examined and tested came from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art so it is not an exhaustive list, but it is substantial. This book was actually one of their publications that was published later in book form. (LUCKY US!!!). If you are researching or just enjoy cochineal you NEED this book (now out of print).

Entertaining reading for those who like the history of textile dyes

This is an excellent book and very well researched. Since I have some knowledge about this subject I expected there to be some misinformation in it. Instead I learned a number of things I didn't know.