Should your glance on mornings lovely
Lift to drink the heaven’s blue
Or when sun, veiled by sirocco,
Royal red sinks out of view –
Give to Nature praise and honor.
Blithe of heart and sound of eye,
Knowing for the world of colour
Where its broad foundations lie.
— Goethe
Often associated with bloodshed, the color red can trigger feelings of sorrow and defeat. It can also be a fortifying presence, letting us know that we’ve endured another painful scar. In Greek mythology, the red rose was a symbol of the cycle of growth and decay, but also for love and affinity. Since red is the color of blood, it has historically been associated with sacrifice, danger, and courage.
The color red has represented many things, from the life force and the divine to love, lust, and anger. Up through the Middle Ages, red held a place of privilege in the Western world. For many cultures, red was not just one color of many but rather the only color worthy enough to be used for social purposes. In some languages, the word for red was the same as the word for color. The first color developed for painting and dying, red became associated in antiquity with war, wealth, and power. In the medieval period, red held both religious significance, as the color of the blood of Christ and the fires of Hell, and secular meaning, as a symbol of love, glory, and beauty. Yet during the Protestant Reformation, red began to decline in status. Viewed as indecent and immoral and linked to luxury and the excesses of the Catholic Church, red fell out of favor. After the French Revolution, red gained new respect as the color of progressive movements and radical left-wing politics." - Red: The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau
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Evening dress, red silk and black rose brocade , 1850s.
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Ball Gown
Emile Pingat (Paris, France)
c.1864
The MET (Accession Number:C.I.69.33.12a–c)
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