Animal Dyeing

The Art of Animal Dyeing in Iran: Natural Colors from the Animal Kingdom

Animal dyeing is another traditional method of dyeing fabrics in Iran and many other parts of the world. In this method, parts of various animals such as insects, mollusks, and mammals were used to extract natural pigments.

History of Animal Dyeing in Iran

Animal dyeing has a long history in Iran and was particularly important in historical periods when access to plant dyes was limited. Some of the animal dyes used in Iran include cochineal, obtained from an insect called cochineal, and Tyrian purple, which was extracted from a type of sea snail.

Raw Materials and Tools Required

Animal sources: The most important raw material in animal dyeing is parts of various animals that contain natural pigments.

Mordant: As in plant dyeing, mordants are used to fix the color on the fibers.

Dyeing pot: A large pot for boiling animal materials and dyeing fabrics

Wooden or ceramic containers: For storing dyes and various solutions

Fabric or thread: For dyeing

Stages of Animal Dyeing

The stages of animal dyeing are very similar to plant dyeing and include the following steps:

Preparing animal materials: The desired parts of the animal are dried and then ground or crushed.

Boiling animal materials: The crushed materials are boiled in a dyeing pot with water to release their pigments.

Adding mordant: After boiling the animal materials, the appropriate mordant is added to the solution.

Dyeing the fabric: The fabric or thread is prepared and then placed in the dye solution and boiled for a specific period.

Washing and drying: After dyeing, the fabric is washed with water and dried.

Types of Animal Dyes

Red: Cochineal (insect)

Purple: Tyrian purple (sea snail)

Purple: Murex