Lac لاک

Lac (لاک) is a red dye from female lac insects (Kerria, formerly Coccus lacca) of India. Iran imported it from India by the early 17th century, and dye analysis finds it as the red of classical Safavid carpets: the V&A's report on a 16th-century fragment gives red as lac and orange as madder.

Also lac dye · lac red · lac-tinged · Kerria · Coccus lacca · stick lac

See also Cochineal and kermes, Madder

Last reviewed November 2026