Deep Crimson

Cinnabar is one of China's oldest pigments, used for pottery decoration since the Neolithic Age. After Qin Shi Huang unified China, cinnabar became the standard color for official seals, giving rise to the term "vermillion brush" for imperial decrees.

Purple held special status in Chinese history. The "Purple Star" was the emperor's star, and the "Purple Forbidden City" the imperial palace. Duke Huan of Qi loved purple so much that the entire nation wore it, making purple silk five times more expensive than white.

Pink Red was named for its popularity among imperial concubines. Safflower was one of the most precious dyes in the Han Dynasty court. According to "Tiangong Kaiwu", safflower-dyed silk was worth its weight in gold.

Rouge is one of China's oldest cosmetics. The Xiongnu people first made rouge from safflower, introduced to China by Zhang Qian's western mission. Tang Dynasty women applied rouge broadly across their cheeks. Yang Guifei's "sweat-tinted color" became a famous beauty anecdote.

Aztec Red comes from the cochineal insect—the most precious pre-Columbian American commodity. Aztecs collected white insects from cacti, dried and ground them for brilliant red dye, far superior to any European dye. Spanish conquerors brought it to Europe where it revolutionized red—British redcoats, French royal velvet, and papal robes all switched to cochineal. In the 16th-18th centuries, it was Mexico's second-largest export after silver. Today, cochineal red (E120) is still used in food and cosmetics—your red drink or lipstick may contain it.

In 1919 Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar, launching a new era in modern design education. Bauhaus red, yellow, and blue were both form-study basics and emblems of functionalist aesthetics.