1.25 oz. W&N Artists' Oil Colors Alizarin Crimson #004

Alizarin Crimson is a synthetic form of the pigment found in the roots of the common Madder (or Rubia Tinctorum) plant. Historically, madder was used as a red dye by the ancient Egyptians, and fabric containing the dye was found in King Tutankhamen's tomb. In more recent times, most madder was grown in Holland until the production of synthetic alizarin (one of the compounds extracted from the madder root) caused the crash of the commercial madder growing industry in 1868. The synthetic variant is preferred to the organic variant, which is still grown and used as a dye, since the organic variant tends to fade. Alizarin Crimson is known for its cool, red, almost purple hue. It maintains its vibrancy even when mixed with other colors.