Does the word “nacarat” describe a vivid red color?
The source of this vivid red is quite unusual: Carmine (“Cochineal,” “Crimson Lake”): Origin and History: A dyestuff precipitated on clay, made from the ground female Coccus cacti, or cochineal, insect which lives on various cactus plants in Mexico and in Central and South America. It was brought to Europe shortly after the discovery of those countries, first described by Mathioli in 1549. The finest quality, known as nacarat carmine, is non-poisonous and quite beautiful with the peculiarity of being more permanent in transmitted light as a transparent color, than when under direct light. http://jcsparks.com/painted/pigment-chem.html It is listed as one of Rembrandt’s pigments (also used by Vermeer) as Carmine nacarat, a very pure form of carmine.
