Popular Tudor colours

[valina_anne]

Estimated number of clothes made (based on numbers of cloths sealled in Colchester) each year. Approximately.
*
180 blue (dark blue)
108 azure (mid blue)
105 plunkett (light blue)
*
16 red
8 brown
5 violet, russet, green
*
Also made: pink, grey, black, marble, stammett, watchett, newe colour, sad newe colour and sheepes colour.

Comments

[myladyswardrobe]

So lots of blues of varying shades and lots of red!

"Sheepes colour" would be that nondescripts creamy/grey colour (or natural black or natural brown) of undyed sheeps wool I suppose.

"Newe Colour" and "sad newe colour" are really impossible to imagine. They could be any kind of colour!!!!

Thinking about my periwinkle blue silk satin, what colour could that be called in Tudorese???? Plunkett doesn't have quite the same elegance as "periwinkle"!!

[myladyswardrobe]

"Watchett" is a particular shade of blue by the way. Though I am not sure if anyone has managed to define precisely the shade.

[valina_anne]

I know it is a pale blue - but I agree, defining a colour with words has limited usefullness. You can never really know unless you see it for yourself.

[valina_anne]

New colour and sad new colour are beige or beige grays. Don't worry the colours described here are locally produced wools: there are much better adjectives for the silks and other fine fabrics. I'm going to do a post on that too.