Treasure hunt begins in England

Chapter 856 The Lost Dye

Finding the box full of carved gemstone models was just the beginning. After putting away this box, Liang En began to rummage through other boxes, and found many valuable things in it.

As he and Joan searched, precious metal tableware and tea sets inlaid with jewels, various statues and jewels from ancient Rome, ancient Greece, and ancient Egypt gradually appeared in front of them.

There is no doubt that things that are very valuable today were also very valuable in Queen Mary's time, so these things are packed in beautiful wood, bronze and silver plated or even made of silver.

Obviously, these things have been classified more accurately in the Palace of Versailles before, allowing people to distinguish the value of the things contained in them through the craftsmanship and materials of these large and small boxes.

For example, a silver box inlaid with crystals of various colors contains two palm-sized statues.But very beautiful bronze statues, they are the ancient Roman goddess of luck Fortuna and the goddess of misfortune Nemesis.

This kind of statue was once very popular in ancient Rome. For example, the gladiators at that time often sacrificed to these two gods in order to be able to come back alive from the arena.

However, just like most objects, there may be many things of the same type, but there are very few boutiques among them, and the pair of statues collected by Mary is the top part of them.

"Did you find that we didn't find any currency except a few gold or silver coins from the Middle East, ancient Rome or ancient Greece in a box before, which is somewhat different from the imaginary treasure."

After clearing another box, Joan said to Liang En, because in her eyes, an important treasure must be accompanied by a large amount of currency made of precious metals.

"Of course there is a difference. This is to transfer a limited amount of treasures in an emergency. Compared with those precious metal currencies, this batch of things is obviously more valuable at the same volume and weight." Liang En spread his hands and said .

"Well, what you said makes sense—hey, what is this?" After listening to what Liang En said, Joan opened the heaviest and largest box she had just found, but this time she appeared in front of her. The things in it are a little different from those in the previous boxes.

The box was divided into many small compartments by some thin wooden boards covered with metal, and each compartment contained a glass bottle containing powders of various colors.

"Isn't there a label here?" Liang En took out a glass tube and looked at the French label on it. "This label says ultramarine blue. I think it might be some dye."

Sure enough, with their further inspection, Liang En and the two found that the dozens of bottles in the box were all dyes.

Judging from Liang En's artistic level strengthened by various cards, these dyes are absolutely exquisite both in the past and now, and there are even some varieties that are completely lost today.

"What is this Scheler Green?" Just as Liang En was looking at the bottles and thinking, Joan picked up a bottle full of green dye and asked. "Is it named after a person?"

"Yes, this is 1775. The Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele invented a deadly bright green color made from the poisonous chemical arsenite, which was very popular in Mary's time." Liang En nodded .

"The dye, known as 'Scheler Green', was so popular that it replaced earlier mineral and vegetable dyes within a decade of its invention. The only problem was that it was toxic."

"Several 19th-century magazines reported children falling ill in bright green rooms, and ladies in green clothes falling ill from inhaling toxic vapors. Even Napoleon's death may have been linked to wallpaper stained with this dye."

"Um, alright." Joan of Arc quickly put the bottle back in place, and then took out a bottle containing yellow powder, "This thing, isn't that dangerous."

"This is Indian yellow, which is very suitable for painting magnificent, hazy, sunlit sea levels. Turner, the master landscape painter at the end of the 17th century, was the favorite to use this kind of Indian yellow. It's just that this pigment has also been lost."

"Why is that, like the Scheler Green just now, it was discarded because of poison?" Joan of Arc brought the glass bottle close to her eyes, and then looked at the yellow lump inside and said.

"No, that's not the case." Liang En showed a narrow smile, "This kind of dye produced in India is produced from the urine of cows fed with mango tree leaves, but it will seriously harm the cows."

"You know Indians have a great religious reverence for cattle, so amidst their protests, in 1908 India announced that this product was banned on humanitarian grounds."

"It's just—" Joan suddenly felt that she didn't know what to say, she really didn't expect such a big contrast between those noble artworks and dyes.

"This is also the only way for human development." Liang En said as he took out a small bottle containing tan fragments, "For example, this mummy brown is also the same."

"This kind of brown has both the slightly emerald brown of raw amber and the ruddy color of deep amber, and it is very easy to stir. It was recognized as the best paint for tracing skin at that time, such as the oil painting "Freedom Leading the People" Just use this."

"Its name says it all: ground from Egyptian mummies. Though considered disgusting by most even at the time, it was produced and used continuously until the 1960s when it was discontinued due to a mummification shortage."

"Isn't there a better-sounding dye?" After hearing these disgusting dyes, Joan asked, "Are all dyes so bad?"

"That's not true." Liang En pointed to some bottles in the box, "For example, this one contains Tyrion Purple, a pigment made from the shiny purple mucus secreted by the glands of sea snails. Considered a symbol of dignity."

"It is said that 12000 snails can be used to make 2 liters of pigment, and the process of making it is extremely smelly, making it one of the most expensive pigments in ancient society. Even the word Phoenician comes from this dye."

"Another example is this ultramarine blue, which is made of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. Today it costs 30000 US dollars per kilogram, and the price in ancient times must be multiplied by at least five."

"This bright, eye-catching blue was so prized during the Renaissance that it was only used to paint the gown of the Virgin, and even a top artist like Michelangelo specially recorded it after acquiring Ultramarine Blue and thanked his employer for his generosity. "

"Of course, with the passage of time, the ultramarine blue that could only be transported westward to Europe through the Silk Road has also been transported southward to the Indian Ocean, and then shipped to Europe by sea. The cost has naturally decreased a lot."

"But even so, this kind of dye is very expensive, and generally only those rich people can afford it. For example, the blue on the famous girl with a pearl earring uses this kind of dye, so it costs hundreds of dollars. Years never fade."

Liang En introduced the dyes in front of him one by one. It was obvious that although these things looked inconspicuous, they were of great value both in terms of research and economy.

(End of this chapter)