To split off from the actual topic, I recently had a tv show on in the
background whilst working, and caught a few details about the dye used
to produce the tekhelet blue as prescribed in the Torah & described in
the Talmud. The animal used for it, the hillazon, is now a mystery,
but the cuttlefish has become a popular suspect. They showed dye made
from the cuttlefish and various other suspects, which was quite
beautiful (lavender/sky blue).
I was fascinated, and wished that I'd been able to pay closer
attention (can't quite remember the name of the show, either--possibly
the Naked Archaeologist on History Int'l?). Anyway, the reason it
sprang to mind is that the blue that all of the suspects they offered
for the mysterious hillazon produced dye that looked nothing
whatsoever like the typical lapis blue used in
illuminations/paintings. That means little, as paint colors don't
directly reflect fabric colors, but there you go. The color was
obtainable by available paints, but it's not used; I have, however,
seen a painting where the tekhelet color was combined with fringe,
though the color may have just been a coincidence there!
Rambling, now.
-E House
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