Collector guide · 7 min
Understanding natural dyes
Editorial team · updated 2026-05-27
The palette
Madder root gives reds from brick to rose depending on mordant and water; indigo gives blues by vat reduction rather than by ordinary dyeing; weld and pomegranate rind give yellows that fade first. Cochineal was traded and used for cooler crimsons.
How they age
Natural dyes usually soften rather than turn. Where a yellow has faded from a green, the remaining blue can make an old textile look unexpectedly cool — a change in the object, not an error by the weaver.
Limits of visual judgement
Synthetic dyes have been used in Iran since the late nineteenth century, and good synthetic dyeing can closely resemble natural work. Only laboratory analysis settles the question; a seller claiming natural dyes without testing is stating a belief.